- think more like a physicist B that is, be able to interpret the world around you in terms of abstract models.
- have a greater appreciation of the beauty and symmetry of physical law.
- understand the fundamentals of DC and AC electrical circuits.
- describe several applications of electromagnetic theory to real-world devices.
- explain how electrical and magnetic phenomena can be understood in terms of fields.
- write down the integral and differential forms of Maxwell=s Equations and explain what each equation means.
- find the electric and magnetic fields of a few fundamental configurations of stationary and moving charges.
- explain what electromagnetic radiation is, what causes it, and why it is important in our society.
- The Access Code from the Student Access Kit
- Your Student ID. This is your 9-digit BYU ID Number. Please enter it
without dashes.
- MASTERINGPHYSICS Course ID: PH220F08
- Do NOT open your MASTERINGPHYSICS Student Access Kit until you are ready
to enroll. This product may not be returned to the Bookstore once it is
opened!!
- You will not be able to enroll in MASTERINGPHYSICS until the first day of class.
- You may use any written materials (notes, books, web pages, etc.) while you are taking the mastery check.
- There is a significant penalty for each wrong answer on multiple choice questions.
- On other questions, there is no penalty for wrong answers, but you are limited to five attempts.
- I expect you to turn in Mastery Checks on time. There is a 12.5% penalty per hour late.
- If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you from submitting a Mastery Check on time, complete it as soon as possible, then afterward send me an email explaining your circumstances.
- I would like these checks to provide you with a valid assessment of your understanding, so I don't want you to discuss the specific questions with anyone else. In particular, please don't discuss specific questions in the Tutorial Lab until after the deadline has passed. If you need help, ask about concepts or about similar homework problems.
- You may not look at any written materials (notes, books, web pages, etc.) while you are taking the quiz.
- You may not discuss these Quizzes with anyone before or after the test, with the exception of Dr. Rees.
- You may not use equations stored in your calculator.
- You must take the test in "one sitting." What I mean by that is that you must take the Quiz in essentially as if you were in a classroom and I were monitoring an exam. I would let you get a drink or go to the restroom, but I wouldn't let you chat with your friends in the hallway or take half the test in the morning and half in the afternoon.
- There is a significant penalty for each wrong answer on multiple choice questions.
- On other questions, there is no penalty for wrong answers, but you are limited to three attempts. (The reason I allow multiple attempts on Quiz problems is to give you a second chance if you mistyped your answer.)
- The late policy for Quizzes is the same as for Mastery Checks.
- These exams will be administered in the testing center.
- The exams will include multiple choice questions and problems much as the quizzes.
- The exams are machine scored by the Testing Center with answers entered on bubble sheets.
- No books (except foreign language dictionaries) will be allowed. Calculators are permitted, but you are not permitted to use information stored on your calculator.
- There are no time limits.
- All exams in the Testing Center end at 1:00 p.m.! Please note this carefully! This means that if you are given your test after 1:00 p.m., you will be assessed a late fee. I may also assess a point penalty.
- There will be a few late days for each midterm exam. The late days are intended primarily for students with emergencies or other special circumstances. I will accept exams taken on late days, but please note carefully that your score will be penalized 5% unless you have a valid reason for taking the exam late and have received permission from me to do so. There is also a fee for taking exams late unless you have a waiver from me.
Course Outline
Fall 2008
Return to Physics 220 Home page.
Instructor: Lawrence Rees
-
Email: nuclear@byu.edu
Office: N-357 ESC
Office Hours: Please come MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m. if possible. Other office hours are MWF 2:00-2:50 p.m. and TTh 9:00-9:50 a.m.
FAQs
-
What is Physics 220?
Physics 121 is mechanics. Physics 220 is electricity and magnetism.
It's been a long time since I took calculus. Do I need to be concerned?
Compared to the other courses in the 121/123/220 sequence, we do use a lot of calculus in this course. However, I don't expect you to remember a lot of details from your math classes. You do need to understand what derivatives and integrals are and be able to do integrals and derivatives of simple functions. You should be thoroughly familiar with the product rule and the chain rule for differentiation.
I've heard this course is hard. How much time will I need to spend for this class?
You should plan to spend at least six hours per week outside of class. Some students find they need to spend considerably more time.
How easy is it to get a good grade?
That's a hard question because some good
students find physics difficult and some not-so-good students find it easy. The
best way to answer that is that about 1/3 of the class get an A− grade
or better. There are more details on grading below.
Students who are willing to work hard seldom receive grades lower than "C."
Expected Learning Outcomes
-
At the end of this semester, you should
Getting Started
Course Website
Most everything you need for the course can be found on the course website. Please note in particular the class schedule which lists assigned reading, due dates, etc.
Text, etc.
The text for this course is Principles of Electricity and Magnetism, which is available online. You will find that the text is the most important learning tool in the course. On the course schedule is a list of the sections which we will be covering each day. Please read the sections from Principles of Electricity and Magnetism before the listed class period.
You also need to buy a standard BYU classroom transmitter (iClicker).
CID Numbers
If you were on the rolls about mid-August, you should have received an email with your class identification (CID) number. If you have not already done so, you need to register your CID and your clicker number on the course website. You will find a photograph showing the location of the iClicker identification number on the registration web page. You will also need to choose a password when you register. Your password should be alphanumeric, be four to eight characters long, and begin with a letter.
If you did not receive a CID number, please send me an email at nuclear@byu.edu.
Coursework
Lectures and Classroom Exercises
The lectures are an important part of class. Although I provide a copy of Power Point slides on the course website, this is not an independent study course.
Each day we will have at least one Classroom Exercise, a short question or problem to work in class. You will use your clicker to answer the question. Each question will be worth three points. You will receive two points for completing the question and one point for a correct answer. If your total score is 75% or better, you will receive full credit, so most students receive full or nearly full credit for Classroom Exercises.
If you forget your transmitter, you will lose points for that day. If you lose your transmitter, you are responsible to replace it promptly.
Walk-in Labs
Several short laboratory experiments will be set up in S-415 ESC. Please carefully check the Class Schedule to find the dates when which each lab will be available. Because labs are changed on Saturday mornings, you should complete the labs by Friday night. I would recommend that you do the labs early in the week as the labs are less crowded and you have some flexibility to come back in case there are problems beyond your or our control. You will submit your labs online. A hard copy of the online lab will be available in S-415, so you won't need to print a copy to take to the lab with you. Completed forms are due on the Monday after you have done the lab. You will receive full credit for the labs if your score is 80% of the total possible score.
If you miss a lab because of extended illness or for university excused absences, please let me know and I will give you credit for it.
Homework
Homework, Mastery Checks, and Quizzes are administered on online package called MASTERINGPHYSICSTM. Before you can register for MASTERINGPHYSICS, you will need to buy the Student Access Kit in the Bookstore. Then go online to http://www.masteringphysics.com to register. You will need the following information:
MASTERINGPHYSICS not only grades your homework problems as soon as you complete them, but it also can provide you with help when you are having difficulty with a problem. Homework is due at 11:55 p.m. on the date indicated on the course schedule. If you score 85% or better on homework, you receive full credit for homework points.
Mastery Checks
The course is divided into 13 lessons. At the end of each lesson, you will take two quizzes using MASTERINGPHYSICS. The first of these is a called a Mastery Check. Its purpose is to help you assess how well you learned the lesson material. These consist of a combination of multiple choice questions and problems. The mastery checks have a few hints and some feedback that may be of help.
Please carefully note the following rules for the mastery checks:
Quizzes
At the end of each lesson, you will also take a Quiz. Whereas Homework and Mastery Checks are primarily learning exercises, Quizzes are to provide me information about how well you have learned the material. They can also help you identify areas of weakness before you take the midterm exams. These Quizzes will be very similar to the Mastery Checks, except that they are closed book, and they will have neither hints nor feedback.
Please carefully note the following rules for Quizzes:
Midterm Exams
There will be two midterm exams given during the semester. Please note the following:
Final Exam
The final exam will consist of two parts: The first part will cover the last section of the course and will be very similar to the midterm exams. The last part will be comprehensive and will consist of one section of matching problems and one section of multiple choice problems. There is no time limit, but most students will finish within two hours. The final exam will be given in the Testing Center and will be available throughout the exam period.
Helps
Tutorial Lab
The Physics Tutorial Lab is available in N-361 ESC. All TAs in the lab should be able to help with Physics 220 question; however, some of the TAs are specially prepared to work with Physics 220 questions. These TAs are identified with Physics 220 badges.
Review Sessiosn
The Tutorial Lab is designed to help students work through homework assignments. The TAs often lack the time and background to explain the underlying physics concepts in depth. If you feel that you are having trouble with basic concepts, I will offer review sessions from 8:15-8:45 am MWF in 252 MARB. These sessions will begin the second week of class in a room to be announced. These sessions are not required and you may attend on and off as you feel a need. These sessions are not for students who who understand the reading and lectures. They will not introduce any special tricks, helps, or ideas that will give those who attend any particular advantage in the class. They are informal discussions to help address and reinforce concepts you are struggling with.
Grading
Weighting
The various components of the course will be weighted as follows:
|
Item |
Full Credit at |
Weight |
|
Classroom Exercises |
75% |
5% |
|
Walk-in Labs |
80% |
5% |
|
Homework |
85% |
10% |
|
Mastery Checks |
5% |
|
|
Chapter Quizzes |
15% |
|
|
Midterm Tests |
40% |
|
|
Final Exam |
20% |
The "Full Credit at" column indicates the percentage required to receive full points for that item. Thus, if a student gets 87% of her homework correct, she receives full credit for homework. If she gets 42.5% of her homework correct, she receives half of the total possible points.
Safety Net
Most students receive higher grades on Homework and Classroom Exercises than on Tests and Quizzes. However, some students do better on Tests and Quizzes than their total scores would indicate. If your weighted percentage on Tests and Quizzes is higher than your raw percentage for either Homework or Classroom Exercises, I will replace your Homework and/or Classroom Exercise score with your Test/Quiz score. For example: you receive 42% for Homework and 87% on Tests and Quizzes combined. Your raw Homework score becomes 87% and you will receive full credit for Homework. Although a few students will benefit from this "safety net," it is unwise to count on it saving your grade except in unusual circumstance where you may not need to do homework or are unable to attend class.
Letter Grades
I will update your grades periodically through the semester and post them privately online. You will need your CID and password to be able to access your grades. If you see any errors, please let me know promptly.
Letter grades are based on your class ranking. Below is a list of the letter grades that correspond to your percentile ranking among students passing the course. Since the class is quite large, the distribution of scores is fairly predictable; however, I may adjust the breakpoints in your favor if I feel that it is warranted.
|
Percentiles (not %!) |
Letter Grade |
|
85 − 100 |
A |
|
67 − 85 |
A− |
|
50 − 67 |
B+ |
|
36 − 50 |
B |
|
22 − 36 |
B− |
|
14 − 22 |
C+ |
|
10 − 14 |
C |
I will individually review and assign all grades of C− or lower.
Legal Notices
The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences suggests that the following statements be included in all course outlines. Please note that I fully endorse these policies.
Harassment
Harassment of any kind is inappropriate at BYU. Specifically, BYU's policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well. If you encounter sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, or other inappropriate behavior, please talk to your professor, contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 367-5689, or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.
Disabilities
BYU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability that may adversely affect your success in this course, please contact the University Accessibility Center at 422-2767. Services deemed appropriate will be coordinated with the student and instructor by that office.
Children in the Classroom
The serious study of the physical and mathematical sciences requires uninterrupted concentration and focus in the classroom. Having small children in class is often a distraction that degrades the educational experience for the entire class. Please make other arrangements for child care rather than bringing children to class with you. If there are extenuating circumstances, please talk with your instructor in advance.