Physics II  Phy 252  Winter-spring, 2008

Donald F. Collins

Old 2007 weekly schedule (for reference).  The Weekly activities, homework, and daily schedule are posted at the MOODLE site.

[Note: This syllabus is posted on-line at:
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/%7Ephysics/physics2/PhysicsII2007/phy2sylabus.html]

The major goals in Physics I and Physics II are to:

  1. Learn substantial contemporary physics.
  2. Experience substantial electrical and electronic techniques in the laboratory.
  3. Practice critical thinking through interactive engagement activities.
  4. Learn skills valuable in other scientific disciplines.  These "transferable" skills include computational skills with computer packages, problem solving skills, and laboratory analytical skills, especially relating to the analysis of experimental uncertainties.

In addition to the above, Physics II emphasizes:

  1. Thermal phenomena
  2. Harmonic motion, sound and waves
  3. Optical phenomena (light, diffraction, quantum optics, lasers, holography)
  4. Electro-magnetic fields and forces
  5. x-rays
  6. Quantum phenomena - phenomena which are not explainable with classical or Newtonian physics.
  7. Astrophysics and color photometry of stars
  8. The application of calculus to physics analysis.
  9. Practice in problem solving skills

 The students will experience the learning of physics mainly through active participation in class, laboratories, and simulations.  Lectures will be minimized except when students want further explanations.

Materials

Textbook (Required): Physics: Calculus - Second Ed. by Eugene Hecht.  Students are expected to read material from the text, work the assigned problems, and to supplement the textbook material with Internet material.

Lab Notebook (Required): Each student will need a quadrille-ruled laboratory notebook for entering laboratory descriptions, data, and summary drafts (no spiral bindings).  In addition, the laboratory notebook will be used for problem solving related to each laboratory assignment and occasional in-class peer writing.  The student must have the lab notebook for every class and laboratory session, otherwise the student will be required to retrieve it.

Internet account: Each student is required to maintain his/her WWC server account on which to save data.  A number of simulations will gain access through the WilsOnLine MOODLE course-management system.  The student must have an active WWC e-mail account in order to access this essential part of the course.  In addition, each student will compose a web page research paper stored in his/her server account.

Physics Activities and Evaluation

Laboratory - 30% (notebooks for 14 experiments: 14%;  7 lab reports: 16%)
Exams - 40%
Problem solving - 13%
Simulations and on-line activiteis - 10%
Research product published on-line - 7%
Attendance - see classroom protocol below.

The laboratory material is the primary material regarding the course material. Each week the class activities will be centered around a particular laboratory phenomenon and experiment.  The whole class meets as a single group on Monday and Wednesday.  Smaller groups meet for "lab" on Tuesday and Thursday.  Class time (M, W) will be spent on Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs),  making predictions,  illustrating concepts,  problem solving assignments, and simulations.  Lectures will be minimal, and the lab notebook will be needed at every class meeting.

Lab time (T, Th) will involve written instructions for each week’s experiment.  All the data, calculations, computer output, graphs, etc. will be entered in the lab notebooks.  No loose papers!  The lab notebooks for each week will be evaluated as "acceptable" or "returned for improvement" (see below).  Only about half the experiments will be written as reports.

Laboratory - 30%. The large contribution to the grade from the laboratory is justified by the fact that half of the class experience is spent in the laboratory exploring phenomena.  The 30% is divided between lab notebooks and lab reports.

14 experiments will be conducted during the course.  For the lab grade in the course, each student must have sufficient entries in the lab notebook for each lab (14%).  Each student will write a lab report for 7 the experiments. (16%)

Lab notebooks - 14%.  Each student must present the laboratory notebook to the professor for instant evaluation.  The notebook will be rated "acceptable" or "unacceptable", and the student may re-submit the book after making the adjustments.  The notebook should be acceptable by the end of the Thursday lab session.  If not, the student must complete the notebook by 4:00 pm on Friday at the professor's office.  The criteria for acceptibility include:

The rationales for the notebook grading are that science students must learn the importance of retrievable laboratory records; the lab notebooks are sometimes regarded as legal documents; the students need to learn the value of preventing losses of loose papers.

Lab reports - 16%.  7 of the 14 lab experiments (students' choice from weeks 1-14) will be reported as written, word-processed reports.  (All laboratories require a notebook instant evaluation, however).  Each student chooses which experiments for which he/she will write reports.   If the student submits 8 reports, the best 7 will be counted.  More than 8 reports from any student will not be evaluated. 

An electronic draft is optional for each laboratory report.  Electronic drafts must be received in e-mail by Monday evening after the lab week.  Professor's comments will be mailed back to the students later in the week, and the final paper report is due the following Tuesday.  The lab grading rubric is displayed at: (http://www.warren-wilson.edu/%7Ephysics/physics2/PhysicsII2008/LabGradeRubric.html).  If the electronic draft is complete, a preliminary grade will be assigned.  If the student is satisfied with the grade on the draft, a final written report is not needed and the draft grade will become the recorded grade.  Lab reports are graded on a scale of 100 points.

Due Dates: The optional e-drafts are due Monday evening after the lab experiment.  For example: Week 2 e-draft is due Monday of Week 3, etc.  The final word-processed report (printed on paper) is due Tuesday class time 2 weeks after lab experiment begins.  For example Week 2 final report is due Tuesday of Week 4 at class time.

 Late reports.  If a written report is late (between 1 day and 1 week) it will suffer a 10% lateness penalty.  Reports more than one week overdue will not be evaluated unless there is a valid medical excuse or family emergency.  Medical or other emergency problems will allow late reports, but must be cleared with the professor.

Exams - 40%. An exam will be given on every fourth Monday:

Feb. 11; Mar. 10; Apr.14; May 12.
.
The purpose of exams is to motivate the review of concepts learned in the course, to reinforce the retention of knowledge, and to build the student's confidence that he/she can perform in a setting where textbooks are unavailable, and to extend the physics concepts to a new situation where rote memory does not work.  Each exam will primarily cover material since the previous exam, but common analytical techniques will appear in all exams.  If necessary, some material may re-appear on later exams if the material presented significant difficulty on previous exams.

Problem Solving (13%)  Physics II is considerably more analytical than Physics I.  Learning begins with concepts experienced in the first day of the labs; enhanced by explaining and summarizing the concepts in each lab summary; and culminates in the ability to calculate parameters and results to new situations (problem solving).  Numerical problems will be assigned with each week (due Tuesday).  To receive complete credit for a problem assignment, the student must show and explain the problem solution to the evaluator.  A sheet with only a listing of the answers is not appropriate.  Each problem must be explained correctly in order to receive credit for the assignment.  The students are encouraged to form teams of 2 - 4 students for the purpose of problem solving and group learning, but each student’s solution must be submitted separately.

Simulations and on-line activity (10%).  There will be about 13 simulations that each student must visit and answer a few simple questions.  The simulations serve to enhance the concepts of the material in the course - especially dynamical simulations.   The simulations will be accessed through the WilsOnLine - MOODLE Course Management System.  Each student must enroll in the on-line section of Physics II during the first week.  The course enrollment key is _____________, which is needed only for the first time.  Quizzes or other on-line activities will demonstrate that the students have explored the on-line simulations.  The system is set-up so that students may repeat the exercises as many times as desired to get a perfect score on each "quiz" without having to report activity through a cumbersome e-mail system.  Students should make the most of exploring the simulations.  The "quizzes" only scratch the surface.  It is also hoped that each student may view his/her own gradebook progress through the course management system.

Research paper published on- the Internet (7%).   Each student will prepare a 2-4 page report on some topic of physics and publish the report as a web site that is viewable by anyone in the world with Internet access.  As with all research papers these reports must be documented with bibliographies and sources.  The experiments and topics in class should lead to more extended projects.  We will begin these projects about week 10, drafts due on Monday, April 28.  The final publication is due on Wednesday, May 14, 2007.

Possible topics (by no means is this a complete list):

LED's and color control
Lasers
X-Rays
Photoelectric effect - expand to many modern devices
Superconductivity - especially high temperature superconductivity
Magnetic levitation
Mass spectroscopy
The Second Law of Thermodynamics - some aspect of it
Greenhouse effect
Spectroscopy applications
 Astrophysics
Star formation
Star aging and evolution
H-R diagrams
Variable stars
Black holes
Cosmology
Speed of light
Optical information storage and processing
Mechanical oscillations and resonance

Seeking support.  Students are encouraged to seek out the instructor.  Tentative office hours (Mon-Fri: 9:30-12:00; Tues,Thurs 8:00-12:00; M-F 2:30-3:45; Friday all day).  Current office hours are posted at the office (Spidel 205) and on the Internet.  Students are encouraged to submit e-mail to the instructor at any time.(dcollins_nospam@warren-wilson.edu).  (remove the "_nospam")

Weekly Activities Outline (see schedule posted on the MOODLE site.
Monday - Introduce the activities for the new week; Conduct the activities for the whole group; hour exam every 4th Monday.

Tuesday - Problem solving due for previous week.  Conduct activities in the smaller lab groups.  Lab reports and/or optional e-drafts are due.

Wednesday - Continue with the laboratory activities; answer questions; peer problem solving; peer writing; demonstrations.

Thursday - Finish the experimental activities and analysis; complete the lab notebooks - no loose papers, include calculations of relative errors, include a concluding statement, and have the notebook approved by face-to-face session with the professor.

 The topics treated in the course are listed by their laboratories and respective chapters from Hecht.

  Topic Textbook Chapter(s) (Hecht)

1.  Temperature/Heat transfer Ch. 12, 13
2.  First Law of Thermo Ch. 14
3.  Thermodynamic Engines Ch. 14
4.  High Temperature Superconductivity
5.  Harmonic Motion Ch. 10
6.  Speeed of Sound, Thermodynamic model. Ch. 11, 14
7.  Speectral analysis of Sound, Ch. 11
8.  Magnetic Fields and Electron Deflection Ch. 19
9.  Speed of Light and laser physics Ch. 22
10.  Diffraction and Interference Ch. 25
11.  Diffraction grating and spectra Ch. 25
12.  X-Ray diffraction Ch. 27, 28
13.  Photoelectric effect Ch. 28
14.  Electron diffraction Ch. 29
15.  Astrophysics H-R diagrams.

Late papers.  Late lab summaries and problem solutions will receive a 10% penalty between one day and one week late.  No papers will be accepted later than one week past the due date.

Missed and late classes. Because a substantial amount of physics learning takes place in the classroom, regular attendance is required.   A student is allowed three absences from class or laboratory activities.  No distinction is made between sickness, field trips, athletic events, Natural Science Seminar preparation, or goofing off.  The only exception will be extended illness (more than 3 days for a single infirmity or family emergency), both of which will require documentation.  The academic work will have to be completed in an extended time on a case-by-case basis.  Lateness to class (between 1 and 30 minutes according to the instructor's watch)  will count as half an absence.  Each excessive absence will result in a grade penalty (2 points out of 100 points) in the final course score.  Students arriving beyond 30 minutes late will be counted as absent.    If the instructor is late, the students who are waiting in the classroom before the instructor arrives will receive credit for half an absence. 

If a student misses an exam due to sickness or family emergency, then with the presentation of adequate documentation, the student will allowed to make-up the missed exam for full credit.  If the missed test results from an alarm clock failure, oversleeping, attending a cousin’s wedding and a delayed flight, then the student will be allowed to make-up the missed exam for 50% maximum credit.  Attending a relative’s wedding, participating in athletic event, or other planned event should be pre-arranged with the instructor, especially if there is a chance of transportation delays.

Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends.  If a student knows in advance that she/he will need to leave early, she/he should notify the instructor before the class period begins.  Students are expected to treat the instructor and fellow students with respect.  For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, blatantly falling asleep in class, or by eating during class.

Special Needs  A student with a diagnosed learning handicap may request special arrangements such as additional time for exams, taping class sessions, taping exam answers, using classmates’ notes, etc. To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Deborah Braden, Educational Access Coordinator at ext. 3791 or dbraden@warren-wilson.edu.  Office location is lower level, Dodge House. Students are encouraged to develop ways of coping with special learning needs, but special requests for accommodations for special needs must be made at the beginning of the semester with the Educational Access Coordinator.  Do not make requests to the professor until the special needs have been documented.  A learning-handicapped student is still responsible for learning the material in the course.  The methods of testing and evaluation may be varied to accommodate the handicapped student.

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to turn-in their own work on all written assignments and reports.  Students are encouraged to work together on assignments, but the reports should be written in the students' own words.  Any verbatim copying, or nearly verbatim duplication between one students' report and another will result in zero credit for each student involved.  On the rare times that this has happened, the learning has been "short-circuited", the professor feels a waste to read two identical reports, and the students are guilty of fraud.  Any falsifying of data will result in a similar zero credit.  The recent news about scientists falsifying cloning studies is a deliberate fraud to the medical research community with very serious consequences.  Any cheating on tests (copying, writing info on body or other means), or cheating on labs or homework (copying from external sources or other students without acknowledgment) will result in failure on the assignment for the first offense.

The second offense of any academic cheating will result in failure or suspension from the course.

Donald F. Collins
January, 2008.  Spidel Office 205.  Phone: 771-3702 (O); 298-4131 (H).  dcollins-nospam@warren-wilson.edu.  Take out the "-nospam" part.