Syllabus

Syllabus

PHYS270 General Physics: Electrodynamics, Light, Relativity and Modern Physics; (3 credits) Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD.
CORE Physical Science Lab (PL) Course when take concurrently with PHYS 271. Prerequisite: PHYS260, PHYS261 and MATH241. Corequisite: PHYS271. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: PHYS270 and PHYS271 (Formerly: PHYS263) or PHYS273. Formerly PHYS263. Third semester of a three-semester calculus-based general physics course. Electrodynamics, Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves, geometrical optics, interference, diffraction, special theory of relativity, and modern physics. PHYS270 and PHYS271 (lab) must be taken in the same semester and the grade for the courses will be combined into a single grade for both. To pass, students must complete passing work in both PHYS270 and PHYS271.

Lectures:

TuTh...... 2:00pm- 3:15pm (PHY 1410)
Section 0301: Th........ 8:00am- 8:50am (PHY 1204)
Section 0302: Th........ 3:30pm- 4:20pm (MTH 0102)
Section 0303: M......... 1:00pm- 1:50pm (MTH 1313)
Section 0304: F......... 11:00am- 11:50am (3MP 1202)

Section 0305: W......... 1:00pm- 1:50pm (PHY 1402)

About the Course

Physics 270 is the third of a three semester series in general physics offered at the University of Maryland during the 2009 Fall semester. This survey course will use algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and vector calculus, and is recommended for engineering majors. The course is a continuation of Phys260 and covers magnetism, electromagnetic induction, Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves, physical and geometric optics, and some aspects of Modern Physics which include relativity and quantum phenomenon.

Required Texts

Text: Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach 2nd edition, by Randall D. Knight,.
DO NOT PURCHASE THE First EDITION! The course will cover Chapters 22-25 and 33-42 of Knight. The book may be purchased in either a single volume (as above) or split into five volumes. If you choose the latter option you will need to have access to volumes 3, 4, & 5.

The book has many weaknesses. Lectures will generally follow the sequence of concepts presented in the book, but the lectures will present some of the concepts from a different perspective. Accordingly one should not view the course and the text book as equivalent.

Course Web site

http://www.physics.umd.edu/courses/Phys270
and click on our class under Spring 2011

The schedule should be checked often since it will be updated as the semester progresses. I will maintain a comprehensive schedule which will allow you to budget your time. It will include reading assignments to prepare for class, provide a list of due dates for homework sets, and show all scheduled exams.

Homework assignments will be posted under the homework section of the web site and updated throughout the semester. Solutions for exams, quizzes, and homework will be posted as PDF files on the web site.

Class announcements will be sent out via a campus list server called coursemail (phys270-03all-spr11@coursemail.umd.edu). See the 'Resources/Links' section of the web site for more information.

Lecture

The material discussed in the lectures will treat essentially the same material as in the text but often from a rather different perspective. It is essential to follow the lectures to do well in the course. Material for exams will follow the lectures as much or more than the book.

Communication

I strongly encourage students to make use of e-mail for quick correspondence with me regarding lecture material, homework problems and the like. I will also use e-mail to communicate with the class at large.

Discussion Sections

The discussion sections have several functions. One is to provide students a chance to ask questions to clarify issues raised in lecture and the book. A second is an emphasis on problem solving. To help make the problem solving component compelling, the sections will generally work on at least some of the current week's homework assignments--- before they are due. Given this it is strongly n your interest to make an attempt at the homework before the discussion section. This will enable you to ask the TA to focus in section on those problems which are giving you trouble. The sections will commonly have a short quiz.

Homework

All homework problems, including due dates, will be posted on the course web site on the homework assignments link. Problem sets are due in at the beginning of the Tuesday lecture. Late homework may be accepted up to one day late at the discretion of the teaching assistants. There will be approximately 13 homework assignments. The lowest three homework scores will be discarded so missing an assignment will not hurt your grade. The homework problems are critical part of the course: the exams in the course will test your ability to solve problems of the type given in the homework. One or more homework problems from each set will be selected for grading. The homework score will be based on the number of solutions submitted (50%) and the grade for the selected problems (50%).

Homework solutions will be posted on the course Website. These may simply be scans of correct and well written solutions turned in by students (with the name omitted). If for some reason you do NOT wish your solution to be placed on the web site please indicate this on your solutions.

Doing the homework is an essential part of learning physics. For this reason, homework is a significant portion of your grade. If you need help with a particular homework problem, you may consult with your fellow students, the TA or me. The best way to do physics problems is to work out a formula for the answer, and only plug in the numbers at the end. If you carry numbers throughout a long problem, you will lose track of what you are doing, make algebra errors and waste time.

Quizzes

Eleven 10-minute quizzes will be conducted through-out the course of the semester administered by the TA. Quizzes will be given at the end of the Discussion section. If you understood the homework problems, you should have no problem with the quiz. The best 9 quizzes will be counted towards your final grade. There will be no make-up quizzes.

Exams

All exams are closed book. A single 4x6 index card will be allowed for each midterm exam, and two 4x6 cards will be allowed for the final exam. No calculators with memory or wireless communication are allowed. If you bring such a calculator to an exam, you will not be allowed to use it. The exams will be full duration of the allotted time of the lecture, 1 hour and 15 minutes. The exams will include numerical constants you may need. Make-up exams will only be given under extraordinary circumstances, in which case an oral exam will be conducted. If you have a good reason that you cannot attend an exam, please talk to me before the exam so we can arrange for an oral exam to be given on an alternate date.

Rescheduling of lectures, discussions &/or lab hours

In case of unforeseen circumstances, lab, discussion and lecture hours may be rescheduled. Any rescheduling will be decided during the semester as possible extenuating circumstances arise.

Attendance

This Physics course is extremely fast paced and demanding. You will be learning new concepts every lecture and missing even one lecture can make you fall behind simply because the concepts build on the ones covered in earlier sessions. Hence, attendance to lectures and discussions are mandatory.

Grading

Tentatively the grading for the Phys 270 component of the class will be based on the following weights: Exams 75%, Homework 20%, Quizzes 5%. Note that these are tentative and subject to change. An attempt will be made to assign grades in as fair manner as possible and it may be necessary to alter these weights to deal with unexpected circumstances. Note that homework and quizzes accounts for more than one quarter of the grade. This means that to do well, you must take these quite seriously. However, any individual homework assignment or quiz is of rather little weight so that if you do poorly on one it is quite unlikely to affect your grade. Note, that the grading will NOT follow the silly 90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C scale familiar from high school. Rather, the association of grades with percentages will depend in large measure on difficulty of the exams and will be set a posteriori in order to assign grades fairly. The PHYS270 component of the grade will be combined with the lab component from PHYS271 (with a weight of 75% and 25% respectively) and the final grade will be based on this combined score. Remember you must separately pass each portion of the course (270 and 271) to pass the combined class.

General Comments

Physics is naturally a cumulative subject; the knowledge learned at each stage builds upon previous knowledge. Do not fall behind! If you find yourself in trouble, seek help. Attend the discussion sections and ask questions, or go to office hours. Don't wait until just before the exam.

Where To Go When You Need Help

1) Professor Papadoupoulos - I am the best resource for this class. Don't hesitate to come by or e-mail for an appointment if you have questions or are having difficulty with any of the material in this class.

2)Slawsky Clinic (1208 Physics) - offers free tutoring in Physics 270 and other subjects. Physics 270 times are MTWThF 11-12 and 1-2.

3)TA Office Hours - if you can't make these, phone or e-mail the TA and ask to make an appointment.

Academic Honesty

Along with certain rights, students also have the responsibility to behave honorably in an academic environment. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any abridgement of academic integrity standards will be referred directly to the Assistant Dean and forwarded to the University's Office of Judicial Affairs. Confirmation of such incidents can result in expulsion from the University. Students who are uncertain as to what constitutes academic dishonesty should consult the University publication entitled Academic Dishonesty.

Of course, you must work by yourself on exams and quizzes. You are allowed to work with other students, the physics clinic, your TA and your instructor on your homework and on the labs. However, you should not just directly copy from them. Doing so is not only dishonest, it will hurt your ability to do the problems on the quizzes and the exams.

You should also be aware of the University of Maryland Honor Pledge, found at http://www.inform.umd.edu/honorpledge. The Honor Pledge is a statement undergraduate and graduate students should be asked to write by hand and sign on examinations, papers, or other academic assignments not specifically exempted by the instructor. The Pledge reads:

"I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination."

The pledge was adopted by the University Senate on April 9, 2001, and approved by the President on May 10, 2001. Full implementation is effective throughout the University on the first day of the Spring 2002 semester.