SYLLABUS

PHYS 272 Introductory Physics: Fields – Fall 2006

 

 

INSTRUCTOR:           Professor Eun-Suk Seo

                                    Rm 3203, CSS building

                                    X5-4855

                                    seo@umd.edu

                                    Office Hours: Thurs 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM or by appointment

 

TA:                              Ms. Anita Roychowdhury

                                    Rm 3103-B, Physics Building

                                    X5-6189

                                    aroychow@umd.edu

                                    Office Hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 2:00 - 3:00 PM

 

TEXTBOOK:              Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Volume 2: Electricity and Magnetism, Light, Modern Physics, P. A. Tipler and G. Mosca, published by W. H. Freeman & Co., 5th edition, 2004, ISBN 0-7167-0810-8 with Clickers & WebAssign

 

LECTURE:                  Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm; Fridays 12:00 pm – 12:50 pm; 

                                    Rm 1201, Physics Bldg.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Second semester of a calculus based general physics course. Electric and magnetic fields and potentials, simple circuits, Maxwell's equations. Continues the application of mathematics to conceptual models, now with more abstract components. CORE Physical Sciences Laboratory Course only when taken concurrently with PHYS275. Also offered as PHYS272H.

 

Prerequisite(s): (PHYS171 or PHYS161) and MATH141. Corequisite: MATH241. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: PHYS272 or PHYS260 and PHYS261 (Formerly: PHYS262) or PHYS142.

 

COURSE PREPARATION:  Reading the textbook before each class is required.  You are responsible for all of the material in every covered chapter, regardless of whether or not the material was specifically mentioned in class. During the lecture we will focus on the material causing difficulties. Check WebAssign for the reading assignment schedule, lecture notes, homework solutions and course related announcements.  You can also use the WebAssign communication board for course related discussions.  For WebAssign, your existing account should work if you already have an account.  If you forgot your password, click “forgot password” button.  If you never had a WebAssign account before, your directory ID is your user name, “umd” is your institution, and your directory ID is your initial password, which you should change once you log in.  New users should read the “student guide.” Further help is available at support@webassign.net.

 

TUTORING: The Physics Department has a free tutoring service, the Slawsky Clinic, run by a group of retired senior physicists. It is located in Room 1214 in the Physics building. No specific time is reserved for PHYS 272. However, you can usually get help at any time they are open, from 10 AM until 3 PM. See http://www.physics.umd.edu/academics/ugrad/slawsky.html

    

GRADE:

 

Homework

20%

Quizzes

10%

Midterm Exams 

40%

Final Exam

30%

                                               

EXAMS:  There will be three in-class exams and one two-hour final exam.  The in-class examination with the lowest score can be dropped from the final grade calculation. The exam will include problems and conceptual questions.  There will be no make-up exam unless prior arrangement is made with the instructor.

 

            Tentative Exam Schedule:

Midterm Exam 1

Thursday September 28, 12:30 – 1:45 PM

Midterm Exam 2

Thursday October 26, 12:30 – 1:45 PM

Midterm Exam 3

Tuesday November 28, 12:30 – 1:45 PM

Final Exam

Tuesday December 19, 1:30 – 3:30 PM

 

HOMEWORK:  Homework assignments will be made every week using WebAssign.  The due dates are specified on WebAssign.  Start working on the homework problems as soon as they are available. You may want to print out your problems first and work on hard copies before you submit answers electronically. You will get an immediate feedback from WebAssign on whether your answer is correct or not. You are allowed to make a number of attempts to get the right answer. Answer keys will be available on WebAssign after the grading is completed. Solutions for the homework assignments will be posted on WebAssign shortly after the due date by the TA. If you have any problem with the electronic submission, submit a paper copy to the instructor by the due.  There will also be “Practice” assignments which are given to help you get familiar with WebAssign and to make more example problems available to you. Assignments with “Practice” tagging are not for grade but for your practice. Additional paper homework will also be given occasionally in class.  Read “Tips for Exam and Paper Homework” below for the hardcopy submission. Late homework is accepted only in exceptional circumstances, and only with consent of the instructor. Your lowest homework grade can be dropped. Makeup Homework is not allowed.  If you miss a homework due to illness, that will be the homework that is dropped. 

 

QUIZZES:  As part of “Interactive Lectures,” multiple choice Clicker questions will be asked in class. Most questions will give you credit for participation. Questions with “Credit” mark will give credit for correct answers. There will also be a 10 minute quiz occasionally at the beginning of the class on the material covered the previous week and/or on the material to be covered that week.  Your lowest quiz grade can be dropped. Makeup quizzes are not allowed.  If you miss a quiz due to illness, that will be the quiz that is dropped. 

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY                             

The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students.  As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course.  It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism.  For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.

 

Tips for Exam and Paper Homework

To get full credit, you must show all your work. You will not receive credit if you do not show your work, even if you write down the "right" answer. When answering the "questions", use complete sentences. If the question is a true/false, a multiple choice, yes/no, or other similar question, explain why the answer you chose is the correct one. Your TA will deduct points if your handwriting is illegible, or if your answer is hard to understand because of poor grammar.

 

   

Disclaimer: The instructor reserves right to make minor changes to this syllabus to meet the specific needs of the class during the semester.