PHY 102 Syllabus: Spring 2024

MWF 10am - 10:50am in Oak Hall 206

Instructor Information

• Dr. Julie Butler

• Email: butlerju@mountunion.edu

• Office: Bracy 107

• Office Hours: Monday 11:00am - 12:30pm, Tuesday 2:30pm - 4:00pm, Friday 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm, and by appointment

• Cell Phone: 864-993-7133

Course Description and Learning Objectives

PHY 102: General Physics II is a survey of the three main branches of physics that were not covered in PHY 101: waves and optics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics.  All three of these fields of physics are important as they explain how many items in the modern world work, such as cameras and electronics, and are the basis for exciting research currently being done in physics, electronics, and engineering.

The broad learning objectives for the entire course are listed below. More specific learning objectives will be provided each week.

• Explain the difference between traveling and standing waves and be able to model both types of waves

• Explain how charges interact and use Coulomb's law to determine the force between charges

• Compare and contrast electric force, electric fields, electric potentials, and potential difference

• Explain how simple circuits and electronic components work and classify different types of circuits based on their components and diagrams.

• Summarize how different types of lenses work and how this knowledge can be extended to describe the function of cameras and eyes.

• Explain why relativity is needed and determine the situations where it needs to be applied.

• Summarize briefly why modern physics is needed and some of the important early developments in the field.

Material Covered

• Unit 1: Waves and Charge Introduction

  • Traveling Waves

  • Sound, Light, and the Doppler Effect

  • Standing Waves

  • Wave Optics

• Unit 2: Electricity 

  • Coulomb's Law

  • Electric Fields

  • Capacitors and Dipoles

  • Gauss' Law

  • Electric Potential

  • Potential and Fields

• Unit 3: Circuits and Magnetic Fields

  • Ohm's Law

  • Circuits

  • Magnetic Fields

  • Magnetic Flux

• Unit 4: Optic and an Introduction to Modern Physics

  • Reflection and Refraction

  • Lenses

  • Induction

  • Camera and The Eye

  • Magnification, Colors, and Resolution

  • Relativity

  • Introduction to Modern Physics and Quantization

Course Policies

• Student Expectations:

  • All students are expected to come to class ready to learn and help contribute to an environment that allows other students to learn.  This means arriving on time and participating in lectures, not creating distractions for other students, and being courteous to students and the professor.

  • It is expected that you completed all graded assignments and submit them on D2L by the posted deadline unless you are using an extension as detailed in the late policy.  

• Attendance Policy: Attendance at all lab sessions is required, but attendance at lectures is not required and will not be taken.  If you choose not to attend a lecture you are still responsible for the material and assignments covered during that class.  A reasonable and documented excuse is needed for a missed lab session. If you experience an extended absence due to illness or family emergency, please email me, and we can work out a solution.

• Accessibility: The University of Mount Union values disability as an important aspect of diversity and is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is the campus office that collaborates with students with disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations based on appropriate documentation, the nature of the request, and feasibility. If you have, or think you have, a temporary or permanent disability and/or a medical diagnosis in any area, such as physical or mental health, attention, learning, chronic health, or sensory, please contact SAS. The SAS office will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are not retroactive, and the instructor is not obligated to provide accommodations if a student does not request accommodation or provide documentation. Students should contact SAS to request accommodations and discuss them with their instructor as early as possible in the semester. You may contact the SAS office by phone at (330) 823-7372; or via e-mail at studentaccessibility@mountunion.edu.

• Academic Honesty: All work you submit with your name on it is expected to be original work.  You can consult any outside source, including the internet and AI chats, for help on assignments, but you are not allowed to copy any solutions you find there directly.  Additionally, you should be able to thoroughly explain how you arrived at your answer for all work you turn in. If you work closely with other classmates on an assignment, please indicate that the solution results from collaboration and list the names of all students who contributed (this is allowed and encouraged).  If it can be proven that you used Chegg, ChatGTP, or another person to solve your homework (i.e., you are copying your solutions directly from these sources or others), or if you are found to be cheating on exams, you will receive a zero for the assignment and be reported for academic dishonesty.

• Technology in the Classroom: All electronic devices are allowed in the classroom, provided that you do not use them to distract other students.  All devices should be muted and notifications silenced for the class duration. If a device distracts other students, you will be asked to put the device away or leave the classroom.

• Communications with the Professor: The best way to ask a question about an assignment is to post it to the class Teams.  Even if I do not see the message quickly, other students may be able to help you.  If you wish to contact me directly, the best way to reach me is by email or to come by my office.  My cell phone number is also provided at the top of the syllabus if you need to contact me quickly.

Post-Class Homework

Post-class homework problems will be assigned during each class (1-3 questions per class).  The collected post-class homework for one week will be on the Thursday of the next week.  For example, during Week 2 post-class homework questions will be assigned on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then they will be due on Monday of Week 3.  These questions will be similar to the questions that will be seen on exams and are thus a great study tool for the exams. Post-class homework assignments should take no more than 3 hours per week to complete.  Post-class assignments can be turned in during class, office hours, or slid under my office door. All post-class assignments slid under my office door are considered on time if they are there before I get to my office on Tuesday morning.

In-Class Assignments

In-class problem-solving sessions (either as a subset of a class period or during dedicated class periods) are not graded.  This time is dedicated to solving problems based on the new material in class in small groups or solo.  The goal of these assignments is to practice with the material covered during the week before graded assignments and with the assistance of your classmates and professor.  The types of problems given in class will be similar to those encountered in the post-class assignments and on exams.

Group Work Policy

All in-class assignments and homework assignments can be completed with other classmates. Each student needs to turn in their  own assignment with the names of all collaborators on the assignment. Turning in an assignment that was completed as a group effort with only your name on it is considered cheating (see the above section on academic dishonesty).

Exams

This class will have for exams, one at the end of each unit.  The exams will not be purposely cumulative but due to the topics being covered in this course, the material will build on itself.  The dates of the exams are as follows:

• Exam 1: Friday, February 2, 2024

• Exam 2: Wednesday, February 28, 2024

• Exam 3: Monday, April 8, 2023

• Exam 4: Friday, May 3, 2024 (1 pm - 4 pm)

The fourth exam will take place during finals week and contain a mixture of topics from Unit 4 and cumulative questions.

Each exam will consist of 4 free-response questions (each with multiple parts) covering conceptual and calculation questions.  Three of the four questions need to be answered for full credit. The 4th exam will consist of an additional four questions covering topics from throughout the semester, three of which will need to be answered for full credit. Calculators are allowed on exams and an equation sheet will be provided.  No other external resources are allowed during the exams.

Labs

The lab sessions are a required part of this course. Lab sessions teach important reporting and analysis skills in a group setting and reinforce concepts learned in lectures.  A scientific calculator that can be used to solve logarithmic, trigonometric, and exponential equations is required in each lab session. Lab assignments are due in person at the start of the following lab; electronic submissions for D2L are not accepted for the lab sessions.  More information will be provided during the first lab session.

Grading Policy

• Participation: 10%

• Post-Class Homework: 20%

• Exams: 50%

• Lab: 20%

• Assignments that are not submitted will receive a zero

• Your participation score is based of your attendance in class and lab, your engagement in the class, and seeking help during office hours.

• The lowest post-class homework grade will be dropped from the final average.  This includes assignments that were not turned in and received a zero.

• The average exam grade will be calculated using the following formula:

Exam average = 0.4(A) + 0.3(B) + 0.2(C) + 0.1(D),

      where A is the final exam, B the highest score of the normal exams, C the next highest score of the normal exams, and D the lowest score of the normal exams.

• Percentage grades can be converted to an A-B scale using the following:

  • A: 100-94

  • A-: 93-90

  • B+: 89-87

  • B: 86-84

  • B-: 83-80

  • C+: 79-77

  • C: 76-74

  • C-: 73-70

  • D+: 69-67

  • D: 66-64

  • D-: 63-60

  • F: 59 and below

Late Policy

Extensions will not be given on assignments, and late work will not be accepted EXCEPT in very special circumstances such as extended illness or family emergencies (talk to me).

Textbook and Course Websites

• The textbook for the course is Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Randall Knight.

• Lecture notes and homework assignments are located at juliebutler.org/classes/phy102 and on the course D2L page

• A digital copy of the book and practice problems are available through Pearson on MasteringPhysics

Schedule, Suggested Reading, and Due Dates

Please note that the suggested readings are not required readings. Rather they are here to help you find the information that is being covered in a particular week if you need to look up a question. 

This schedule is subject to change throughout the semester.

Week 1 (January 8 - 12)

• Monday

  • Topic: Syllabus and Course Overview

  • Suggested Reading: None

  • Due: None

• Tuesday Lab

  • PHY 101 Review

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Traveling Waves

  • Suggested Reading: Section 16.1 - Section 16.3

  • Due: None

• Friday: 

  • Topic: Traveling Waves

  • Suggested Reading: Section 16.4, Section 16.8 - Section 16.9

  • Due: None

Week 2 (January 15 - January 19)

• Monday: No Class (MLK Day)

• Tuesday Lab

  • Sound and Standing Waves

  • Due: Post-Class Week 1 (Non-standard due date!), Week 1 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Standing Waves

  • Suggested Reading: Section 17.1 - Section 17.4

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Standing Waves

  • Suggested Reading: Section 17.5 - Section 17.6

  • Due: None 

Week 3 (January 22 - January 26)

• Monday

  • Topic: Wave Optics

  • Suggested Reading: Section 33.1 - Section 33.4

  • Due: Week 2 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Diffraction, Polarization, and Interference

  • Due:mWeek 2 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Wave Optics and Polarization (End of Unit 1)

  • Suggested Reading: Section 31.7

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Charges and Statics (Beginning of Unit 2)

  • Suggested Reading: Section 22.1 - Section 22.4

Week 4 (January 29 - February 2)

• Monday

  • Topic: Couloumb's Law and Electric Field Lines

  • Suggested Reading: Section 22.4 - Section 22.5, Section 23.1 - Section 23.2

  • Due: Post-Class Week 3

• Tuesday Lab

  • Coloumb's Law and Static Electricity (Finish in Lab)

  • Due: Week 3 Lab Report, Week 4 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Coulomb's Law and Superposition

  • Suggested Reading: Section 22.4 - Section 22.5, Section 23.1 - Section 23.2

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Unit 1 Exam

Week 5 (February 5 - February 9)

• Monday

  • Topic: Dipoles and Electric Fields through Integration

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.3 - Section 23.4

  • Due: Week 4 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Electric Fields

  • Due: None

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Gauss's Law and Charged Spherees

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.4, Chapter 24

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Gauss's Law and Integration

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.4, Chapter 24

  • Due: None

Week 6 (February 12 - February 16)

• Monday

  • Topic: Electric Potential Energy and Electric Potential

  • Suggested Reading: Section 25.1 - Section 25.4

  • Due: Week 5 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Capacitors and Parallel Plates

  • Due: Week 5 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Parallel Plates and Capacitors

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.5, Section 25.5, Section 26.5 - Section 26.7

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Particles in Electric Fields

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.6, Section 25.6 - Section 25.7

  • Due: None

Week 7 (February 19 - February 23)

• Monday

  • Topic: Dipoles in Electric Fields

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.6, Section 25.6 - Section 25.7

  • Due: Week 6 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Particle Accelerator (Finish in Lab)

  • Due: Week 6 Lab Report, Week 7 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: More Capacitors (End of Unit 2)

  • Suggested Reading: Section 23.7, Section 25.7

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Current and Resistance (Beginning of Unit 3)

  • Suggested Reading: Chapter 27

  • Due: None

Week 8 (February 26 - March 1)

• Monday

  • Topic: Circuit Basics

  • Suggested Reading: Section 28.1 - Section 28.7

  • Due: Week 7 Post-Class 

• Tuesday Lab

  • Repulsion, Ohm's Law, and Resistance

  • Due: None

• Wednesday

  • Unit 2 Exam 

• Friday: No Class; Spring Break

Week 9 (March 11 - March 15)

• Monday

  • Topic: Resistors and Kirchoff's Laws

  • Suggested Reading: Section 28.1 - Section 28.7

  • Due: Week 9 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Resistors in parallel and series, Kirchoff's Laws

  • Due: Week 8 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Resistors and Kirchoff's Laws

  • Suggested Reading: Section 28.1 - Section 28.7

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: RC Circuits

  • Suggested Reading: Section 28.9

  • Due: None

Week 10 (March 18 - March 22)

• Monday

  • Topic: Magnets and Moving Particles

  • Suggested Reading: Section 29.1 - 29.3, Section 29.7

  • Due: Week 9 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • RC Circuits and Fan Circuits

  • Due: Week 9 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic Moving Particles in Magnetic Fields and Cyclotron Motion

  • Suggested Reading: Section 29.1 - 29.3, Section 29.7

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Magnetic Fields and Wires, Ampere's Law

  • Suggested Reading: Section 29.4, Section 29.6, Section 29.8

  • Due: None

Week 11 (March 25 - March 29)

• Monday

  • Topic: Coils, Solenoids, and Magnetic Dipoles

  • Suggested Reading: Section 29.5 - Section 29.6, Section 29.9

  • Due: Week 10 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab 

  • Wires with Magnetic Fields and Cyclotron Motion

  • Due: Week 10 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Magnetic Flux; Motors and Introduction to Induction

  • Suggested Reading: Section 29.9, Section 30.1 - Section 30.5

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • No Class; Good Friday

Week 12 (April 1 - April 5)

• Monday: Lenz's and Faraday's Laws (End of Unit 3)

• Topic: 

• Suggested Reading: Section 30.1 - Section 30.5

• Due: Week 11 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Induction and Motors (Finish in Lab)

  • Due: Week 11 Lab Report, Week 12 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Unit 3 Review

  • Suggested Reading: None

• Friday

  • Unit 3 Exam

Week 13 (April 8 - April 12)

• Monday

  • TBD

• Tuesday Lab

  • Snell's Law and Lenses

  • Due: Week 12 Post-Class (Non-standard due date!)

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Reflection, Refraction, and Snell's Law (Beginning of Unit 4)

  • Suggested Reading: Section 34.1 - Section 34.4

  • Due

• Friday

  • Topic: Mirrors

  • Suggested Reading: Section 34.2, Section 34.7

  • Due: None

Week 14 (April 15 - April 19)

• Monday

  • Topic: Lenses

  • Suggested Reading: Section 34.5 - Section 34.6

  • Due: Week 13 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab

  • Radiation and Modern Physics (Finish in Lab)

  • Due: Week 13 Lab Report, Week 14 Lab Report

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Compound Lenses

  • Suggested Reading: Section 35.1 - Section 35.4

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: Optics Review

  • Suggested Reading

  • Due: None

Week 15 (April 22 - April 26)

• Monday

  • Topic: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

  • Suggested Reading: Lecture Notes

  • Due: Week 14 Post-Class

• Tuesday Lab 

  • No Lab

• Wednesday

  • Topic: Introduction to Nuclear Physics (End of Unit 4)

  • Suggested Reading: Lecture Notes

  • Due: None

• Friday

  • Topic: General Physics Day

  • Suggested Reading: None

  • Due: None

Week 16 (April 29 - May 3)

• Monday

  • Finals Review

• Tuesday Lab

  • No Lab

• Wednesday

  • Finals Review

  • Last Day of Class

• Friday

  • Final Exam (1:00pm - 4:00pm)