Section #: 617503
Class Time: MW 4:30PM - 6:45PM
Room: 7/273
Instructor: Douglas H. Laurence
Office: 7/135
Office Hours: By Appointment Only During Summer
For this course, you will be required to have the following materials:
- Textbook: University Physics, 14th edition, by Young and Freedman.
- MasteringPhysics: The homework for this class will be assigned through online software known as MasteringPhysics; specifically a new version called Modified MasteringPhysics. You can buy an access code for MasteringPhysics alone or you can buy it as a package with the textbook from the bookstore. Either way, you need a copy of the text and an access code for the homework. Read the "Homework" section below for information on MasteringPhysics.
- Other Materials: A scientific calculator, not a graphing calculator or other type of programmable calculator, which will not be allowed on exams
There are two more references I would recommend. For math, noting beats Paul's Online Math Notes, which provide an excellent review of all necessary math. For physics with calculus, MIT's Physics lectures from 1999, given by Walter Lewin, are the gold-standard for online lecture videos for physics. YouTube still has the videos uploaded, and a playlist for them can be found here. If you need more reference materials, feel free to ask me and I'll be more than happy to recommend additional sources.
During the semester, we will cover the following topics. Note that these topics are subject to change with notification by the professor.
- Electric Forces and Fields
- Gauss' Law
- Electric Potential and Potential Energy
- Capacitance
- Current and Resistors
- DC Circuits
- Magnetic Forces and Fields
- Electromagnetic Induction
- Optics
- Select Topics in Modern Physics
The exams will be a mixture of multiple choice questions and free response problems. There will be 10 multiple choice questions worth 2.5 points each (total of 25 points) and 3 free response problems worth 25 points each (total of 75 points). There will actually be FOUR available free response problems, of which you only need to answer THREE; you CANNOT do the fourth problem for extra credit. The material covered on each exam is going to break down like:
- Exam 1: Chapters 21 - 24
- Exam 2: Chapters 25 - 29
- Exam 3: Chapters 33, 34, and TBA
- There will not be a comprehensive final exam for this course.
Make-up exams will not be offered in this course. Instead, if you have a legitimate emergency and cannot make it to the exam, I will replace your missed exam with the average of your other two exams. If you know ahead of time that you will have to miss an exam, please let me know in advance. Legitimate reasons to miss an exam are outlined in the Student Handbook for Broward College; any other reason is up to the discretion of the professor.
Homework will be assigned through MasteringPhysics, specifically the new version called Modified MasteringPhysics (course code: laurence39512), with roughly one assignment due each week, though it depends on how long a particular topic takes us to cover in class; you will be able to see the homework schedule through the MasteringPhysics website. To access MasteringPhysics, you must go to the following website: http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com. This website, speficically, offers a 2 week free trial for MasteringPhysics in case you need time to purchase your access code. You should watch this video on how to get started with MasteringPhysics.
While each homework assignment will vary in the number of questions asked, each assignment will be worth the same number of points, i.e. each homework assignment will be equally weighted. Some homework assignments which have a lot of subject matter to cover will have extra credit questions assigned. Each homework assignment will also be available for you to turn in late up to one-week after the due date, so even if you're running a bit late, make sure to turn it in! If, for any legitimate reason, you absolutely need an extension for your homework, please let me know before the due date of the homework, and I'll be happy to provide you a reasonable extension.
Tentative Course Schedule:
| WEEK | MONDAY | WEDNESDAY |
|---|---|---|
| May 13 | Ch 21: Electric Charge and Electric Field | Class Cancelled |
| May 20 | Ch 21: Electric Charge and Electric Field | Ch 22: Gauss' Law |
| May 27 | Memorial Day | Ch 22: Gauss' Law |
| June 3 | Ch 23: Electric Potential | Ch 24: Capacitance and Dielectrics |
| June 10 | Exam 1 (Ch's 21 - 24) | Ch 25: Current / Ch 26: DC Circuits |
| June 17 | Ch 26: DC Circuits | Ch 27: Magnetic Field and Magnetic Forces |
| June 24 | Ch 28: Sources of Magnetic Field | Ch 28: Sources of Magnetic Field |
| July 1 | Ch 29: Electromagnetic Induction | Ch 29: Electromagnetic Induction |
| July 8 | Exam 2 (Ch's 25 - 29) | Ch 33: Nature and Propagation of Light |
| July 15 | Ch 34: Geometric Optics | Select Topics in Modern Physics (TBA) |
| July 22 | Select Topics in Modern Physics (TBA) | Select Topics in Modern Physics (TBA) |
| July 29 | Select Topics in Modern Physics (TBA) | Select Topics in Modern Physics (TBA) |
| August 5 | Exam 3 (Ch's 33, 34, and TBA) | Classes End |
*Blue days are days off, red days are exam dates
Grading Scheme:
| Homework | 25 points |
| Lowest-Graded Exam | 15 points |
| Mid-Graded Exam | 25 points |
| Highest-Graded Exam | 35 points |
| Total | 100 points |
|---|
Grading Sale:
| Letter Grade | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| A | 85.0 - 100.0 |
| B | 75.0 - 84.9 |
| C | 65.0 - 74.9 |
| D | 55.0 - 64.9 |
| F | < 55.0 |