Welcome to Principles/Essentials of Physics II

Physics 207/212, Fall 2006
Tentative course schedule, syllabus, and list of assignments:

 
Text: Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker, 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons.

The approximate goal will be to cover material from chapters 21—32 of the text that are contained in Part 3 of Volume II and possibly some additional chapters from Part 4. The text will not be followed exactly and some sections may be dropped or additional material outside the book covered. Also the style and treatment may be different from the book, so attendance at all classes is essential. If you do miss a class, get notes from someone immediately—it may be difficult to learn the missed material just from reading the book. The quizzes, tests and final exam will be based on what is actually covered in class and the assigned homework.

Homework (HW) will consist of assignments from the back of each chapter plus other questions/problems given in class. You will have an in-class quiz almost every week. This will check how well you have understood the HW as well as the general concepts and theory. This course will emphasize gaining a conceptual understanding of physics and a qualitative feel for the topics, besides being able to solve numerical problems. Accordingly the tests and quizzes will contain not only problems but also qualitative (essay type) questions and derivations. However, the questions will not be open ended (like "What's your philosophy of life?").

The overall grade will be based on quizzes (20%), 2 tests (40%), and a cumulative final exam (40%). Plus there is a 2% bonus for participation in classroom discussions. You are advised to save all course material (especially the graded tests that you get back) until the course has ended and a final letter grade has been assigned. Usually no quizzes or tests are dropped!

Note that there is no capa. The Thu. 12:30pm class is like any other and requires mandatory attendance. Quizzes and tests are often given during this period.

You will need to bring a scientific calculator for the quizzes, tests, and final. Graphing calculators, cell-phones, PDA’s, and other instruments with large memories are not allowed.

Notes (usually brief outlines) and other materials and announcements will be posted on the course web site from time to time, so keep an eye on that site.

The following grades boundaries will serve as a guide:

0 ≤ F < 50 ≤ D < 56 ≤ D+ < 63 ≤ C < 70 ≤ C+ < 76 ≤  B < 83 ≤ B+ < 90 ≤  A ≤ 100

I may adjust these if the overall curve is much lower. Makeup exams will be given for exceptional situations such as valid medical excuses.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions at any time - either in class or in my office.

Dates for the tests and final

Test 1	Tuesday, September 26	9:30-10:45am
Test 2	Tuesday, October 31	9:30-10:45am
Final exam	Thursday, December 14	9:00AM—Noon

~ GOOD LUCK ~