PHY216 (Fall 2015) Syllabus
Syracuse University - Department of Physics

Physics 216

General Physics II - Honors

(Electricity and Magnetism)

Fall 2015

Course Objective:
If you think that your contact with electricity and magnetism is limited to electrically powered devices, think again. Thinking itself is possible due to electrical currents in your brain. Seeing is detecting electromagnetic radiation. Oh, I almost forgot, we are made of building blocks (electrons and nuclei) kept together by electromagnetic forces. Let us then learn underlying theory of electromagnetic interactions. In this class we will study classical theory of electricity and magnetism, which was developed through 19th century and is based on physics concepts which you learned during the first semester of General Physics (e.g. forces, energy, waves etc.) In 20th century people discovered that the classical theory is only an approximation to more exact quantum field theory of electromagnetic interactions called QED. QED is a subject of advanced graduate classes in physics. Fortunately, the classical theory works extremely well for almost all electromagnetic phenomena with exception of atomic and subatomic processes.
Text:
Raymond A. Serway and John W. Jewett, Jr. "Physics for Scientists and Engineers", Ninth Edition, Volume 2 (Cengage Learning) with Enhanced WebAssign Access.
Access to the textbook and WebAssign are required. They are available at Syracuse University Bookstore.
Calculator:
A scientific calculator which includes sin, cos, tan, exp, log, roots and inverse operations is necessary. Please bring a calculator to quizzes and exams. Use of cell phones or laptop computers during the tests is not allowed.
Instructor:
Prof. Tomasz Skwarnicki
Office: Physics Building, Rm. 325
Phone: 443-5973
E-mail: tskwarni@syr.edu
Office hours: You can try to stop by my office at any time or make an appointment.
Recitation Instructor:
TA: Kazage Utuje
Office: Physics Building, Rm. 239
Phone: 443-3752
E-mail: kutuje@syr.edu
Office hours: If you find help provided during the recitation meetings to be insufficient you can make an appointment to see Kazage in his office.
Undergraduate Physics Office:
Contact Undergraduate Physics Office for any issues related to the class registration.
Secretary: Patricia Whitmore
Office: Physics Building, Rm. 111
Phone: 443-5958
E-mail: pawhitmo@syr.edu
Pre- and Co-requisites:
PHY211 or PHY215 is a prerequisite for this course. Working knowledge of high school level algebra and trigonometry is required. Calculus will also be used. Calculus is covered in the co-requisite course (MAT286 or MAT296). Useful formulae are summarized in Appendix B of the textbook. Math department runs Math Clinic in the Reading Room of Carnegie (hours are posted on the door) if you need assistance with math.
Students are also required to enroll in the laboratory course PHY 222. Your grade in PHY 216 may be withheld if you don't co-register for the laboratory.
Lecture:
Twice a week, normally Tuesday, Thursday 9:30-10:50 am, Rm B129E, Physics Building. Some lectures will be given during recitation time slots which will be announced later.
Lectures will discuss and illustrate relevant physics concepts. For class topics see the lecture schedule. The lecture notes are not posted or distributed; please rely on corresponding reading assignments in case you miss any lectures.
Most of the first lectures during each week will include a 15min written quiz. You will be asked to solve problems similar to those assigned for homework and discussed at the recitations.
Two Midterm Exams will also be given at the lecture hours (80 min test).
Reading Assignments:
There will be weekly reading assignments from your textbook corresponding to the material covered in lecture. These assignments are given as textbook section numbers listed in the class calendar below each lecture topic. Reading is most effective when done before the respective lecture. Moreover, for the homework and examinations, you will be expected to know all material covered in the assigned readings even if the material is not discussed in lecture.
Homework Assignments:
Homework, quizzes and exams will consist of problems to solve. Homework and recitations are intended to prepare you for quizzes and exams which constitute majority of credit to be earned. Homework will be assigned via WebAssign.net website (login details will be given later). Each week new assignments will be posted no later than on the day of the lecture covering the related material (typically two sets of assignments per week). The answers to the problems, to be entered on-line at WebAssign.net, will be due no later than Monday following week at 10pm. No extensions will be granted as discussed in Absence Policy . It is extremely important that you try to solve homework problems all by yourself before you come to recitations or seek other form of help. Most of assigned problems will involve combining several equations in order to find a solution. When working on homework assignments document your work on a sheet of paper, which you should bring with you to the recitation classes or when you meet somebody to help you. Resist temptation to plug in numbers to equations early on; use symbols to do mathematical manipulations as much as you can. This makes it easier to check your solution and find mistakes. WebAssign will usually ask for numerical answer, thus plug in numbers at the end. Enter 3 significant digits unless instructed otherwise. You can enter your answer up to 100 times with no penalty, thus don't hesitate to enter it just to find out if you solved the problem correctly. Submit the answers well ahead of the deadline, since computer or network problems may prevent you from submitting solutions at the last minute (no excuses will be accepted).
Recitations:
Twice a week. Two one-hour sessions a week:
Recitation-1
Tuesday 2:00-2:55pm or 4:00-4:55pm, Rm B126, Physics Bldg
Recitation-2
Thursday 1:00-1:55pm or Friday 8:25-9:20am, Rm B126, Physics Bldg (attend either Thursday or Friday recitation).

Recitations will focus on discussing problem solving. Homework problems, or similar, will be discussed. This will be a good time to clarify any doubts you may have after trying to solve problems on your own. Attendance is required.
Quizzes:
Your ability to solve physics problems using concepts discussed earlier in the course will be tested with help of written quizzes and exams. There will be a 15min written quiz given during most of Tuesday lectures based on the most recently covered material (since the last quiz). See the lecture schedule for dates of the quizzes. No make-up quizzes will be given (see Absence Policy ). The lowest two quiz grades will be dropped (this includes missed quizzes, if any). Quizzes will be graded and returned to you at the recitation session.
Exams:
Two midterm exams will include all material covered since the previous exam. For dates see the lecture schedule. The lower midterm exam grade will be dropped (including a missed exam if any). No make-up exams will be offered (see Absence Policy ). Exams will be graded and returned to you at the recitation sessions.
The final exam is scheduled for Friday, Dec 18th, 5:15-7:15pm (PB, Rm B129E). The final exam will include all material covered in the course. The final exam cannot be missed.
The exams and quizzes are closed book, however, you are free to bring a single double-sided sheet of handwritten notes (no photocopies). You can bring 3 of them to the final exam. Use of cell phones, laptop computers or leaving the room during the tests is not allowed.
Physics Clinic:
If, after the recitations, you are still confused about how to solve the assigned problems make an appointment with Kazage. You can also seek help from Prof. Skwarnicki. There is also Physics Clinic staffed with graduate students who are not assigned to this class, but should be able to help you. Physics Clinic is operated in room 104S of the Physics Building. Hours are posted on the door
Honesty:
While it is fine to seek help on the homework assignments, it is a violation of the academic code to seek or give assistance during quizzes and exams. The instructor is the only person you can communicate with during the tests. The general Syracuse University Academic Integrity rules will be followed in case of violations.
Grading:
The final course grade will be determined as follows: Please notice that more than 2/3 of the final grade is based on credits you can earn only during the semester. You cannot pass this course just by scoring high on the final exam.

The following grading scale will be used: 

    
   Your score (%)  Letter grade

   93-               A
   90-93             A-
   87-90             B+
   83-87             B
   80-83             B-
   75-80             C+
   70-75             C
   60-70             C-
   50-60             D
    0-50             F
Absence Policy:
Late homework will not be accepted, and missed quizzes and exams cannot be made up even if missed for legitimate reasons (except for those covered by SU Religious Observances Policy ) Since we drop two lowest homework and quiz scores and one midterm exam score, medical and family emergencies should not affect your grade. The final exam cannot be missed.
Laboratory Course PHY222:
You must co-register for the laboratory course PHY222 (1 credit hour) unless you passed it previously. There are no labs first week of classes. PHY222 will provide you with hands-on experience with physical phenomena discussed in this course (PHY216) and introduce you to measurement process. You are strongly encouraged to registered for section M014 (W 6:00-8:00pm) which is intended for PHY216 students. Your recitation instructor will also be PHY222 M014 lab instructor. If you cannot attend M014, please register for any other PHY222 section. The PHY222 course is graded separately. Prof. Sam Sampere E-mail: smsamper@syr.edu ) is in charge of the PHY222 course and its grading.
Academic Integrity
Syracuse University's Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the policy and know that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university policy. The university policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same written work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. The presumptive penalty for a first offense by an undergraduate student is course failure, accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the failure resulted from a violation of Academic Integrity Policy. The standard sanction for a first offense by a graduate student is suspension or expulsion. For more information and the complete policy, see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/academic-integrity-policy/
Disability-Related Accommodations
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services(ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of 804 University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498, TDD: (315) 443-1371 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented Disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
Religious Observances Policy
SU religious observances policy, found at http://supolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm, recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holidays according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to are religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. For fall and spring semesters, an online notification process is available through MySlice/StudentServices/Enrollment/MyReligiousObservances from the first day of class until the end of the second week of class.