PH 106 – GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS – Spring 2008


MEETINGS: see schedule, room 227 / 329 Gallalee Hall

CREDIT: 4 Hrs

INSTRUCTORS:

Dr. Rainer Schad

Christopher Culbert

Yinjun Zhang

Evan Niner

Office: 131 Bevill

Office:  Gallalee Hall 105

103

 

e-mail: 
rschad@bama.ua.edu
tel: 348-2404

 

caculbert(at)bama.ua.edu

348-3779        

 

yzhang79(at)bama.ua.edu

348-3489

 

office hrs:

by appointment

=> HelpDesk

 

 

TEXT:
Serway and Jewett, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. II, …, 5th, 6th, or 7th Ed. [not much difference, except in price]

PREREQUISITES:
PH 105 (or PH 101)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is an introductory calculus-based course in electricity and magnetism for students in science and engineering.

Course Topics:
Electricity and Magnetism, simple electric circuits, optics
.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of the course, you should have a basic introductory understanding of classical electricity on both a qualitative and quantitative level. You should be able to solve basic problems using mathematics through differential and integral calculus. You should then have the necessary background so that you can take modern physics.
Expected learning outcomes include but are not limited to:

 

General learning outcomes

·       Scientific method: You should be able to recognize and explain the scientific method, and evaluate scientific information.

·       Effective teamwork: You should be able to collaborate and perform effectively in team activities.

 

Course specific learning outcomes

·       Conceptual understanding:

You should be able to answer conceptual questions which require a solid understanding of electrical and magnetic forces.
You should be able to apply the concepts of electric fields and electric potential to relevant problems.
You should be able to apply the concepts of magnetic fields to relevant problems.

·       Application of basics laws of physics: You should be able to apply the laws of physics to formulate a solution to a problem.

·       Analysis of electric circuits: You should be able to analyze electric circuits and predict their function.

·       Knowledge of optics: You should be able to solve problems which require the knowledge of ray optics and optical image formation.

COURSE APPROACH: 
The course will emphasize fundamental concepts and problem-solving techniques in physics using interactive instruction, computer-based techniques, and cooperative learning. There will be separate lab and lecture sections as is the case in the traditional physics course. The course will be team-taught by a faculty member (lecture section) and a graduate teaching assistant (Lab section).
Lectures sections will occasionally be interrupted by clicker sessions.

CLICKERS:
[Sometimes conveniently being referred to as Remote-In-Class-Student-Response-Systems].
We will be using the E-clicker system [http://einstruction.com/Solutions/HigherEd/index.cfm].
The ‘remote’ you will need to purchase from the supe store.
Instructions about how to enroll in our class are given in this document: EnrollingThroughCPSOnline.pdf
For this you will need to know:
Class Key:               M41884E664
Class name:             PH106 Fall08 Schad

HOMEWORK PROBLEMS:
Problems from the textbook are assigned weekly. The problem solutions must be submitted on the web using a web-based program called WEBASSIGN  (http://webassign.net/).
Initially, there is some grace period – Ultimately, you will need for sign-up an access code which comes with a newly bought book or can be purchased on the WebAssign webpage. You would have to self- enroll in class using the

class key:         ua 3046 0233

WEBASSIGN gives immediate feedback on the correctness of each problem, and students can resubmit problems if they are incorrect, up to a maximum of five attempts. The numbers in the problem are different for each student, but are not changed each time a problem is resubmitted. The first session will be devoted to explaining how to use WEBASSIGN. It is important to understand how to work a problem and not just to submit a correct answer. Students must keep a notebook of how they work each problem and be prepared to turn this in for spot grading as requested. Although students may collaborate when working problems, each student should keep a record of problem solutions (not just answers) and should submit their own answers – based on the particular numbers in their problems.

There is an excellent website associated with the textbook that can be used by students for assistance with working problems (http://www.pse6.com/), including practice problems and detailed solutions to selected problems.

GRADING: See breakdown of total grade components and the respective weight listed below. 

Labs & Quiz**

15%

In-class Clicker Questions

10%

Homework Problems

10%

Exam I *

12.5%

Exam II *

15%

Exam III *

17.5% 

Final

20%

*      The weakest of the 3 exams counting 12.5%, …

**    The 2 lowest grades will be dropped.

ATTENDANCE AND MAKEUP POLICY:  No makeup of in-class work or exams will be given. If you have a legitimate reason for missing a major exam, then you must inform me as soon as possible. If the reason is acceptable, then the final exam will count proportionately more.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY: All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.