Physics 213
Modern Physics
Spring 2000

This page is still under construction

Instructor: David Newman
Office: 112 NSCI
Office Phone: 474-7858
Home Phone: 458-8576 (if all else fails!! But please not after 11 PM)
Email: ffden@uaf.edu

Office Hours:

Monday 2:30-4:30pm in 112 NSCI

Wednesday 2:30-4:30pm in 112 NSCI

 

Semester schedule (calendar)

Homework

Review/Problem Sessions

Web Projects (under construction)

This syllabus is located at: http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/213.html

Course Syllabus

Prerequisites: Calculus and Physics 211. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus will be used extensively.

Materials Needed:

Required Text:s

Fundamentals of Physics, 5th edition, Halliday, Resnick, Walker.
Nonclassical Physic, Randy Harris

Calculators:

No calculators may be used during exams or quizzes. Otherwise, buy yourself a nice one. A basic, simple scientific calculator with trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions is all that you need.

Lectures: 1:00pm MWF in 203 NSCI. The lectures supplement but do not substitute for the reading. Lectures will cover the major topics, emphasizing and discussing the important points. They are not sessions to regurgitate material already written in the text. Your personal participation is important, and it is critical that you read the assigned material before lecture. Time permitting, several Friday lectures will cover special topics beyond the scope of the text. These will be announced before hand.

Homework: There will be approximately one homework assignment per week. The assignment will be given out (and posted on the web and in the hall in front of my office) on Wednesdays and will be due in on the following Wednesday by 5:00. Place your homework in the appropriate box in the Physics Department Office. You are encouraged to work with others on the homework, but make sure the paper you turn in is not simply copied from someone else. These assignments help me assess your understanding of the material, and will count toward your final grade.
Late problem sets will not be accepted.
Only a selection of problems will be graded each week, totaling about 25 points each. Solution sets will be posted in the glass cabinet in the Physics Dept. hall (and on the homework web site if I'm organized!). You are strongly encouraged get copies to help you understand how to approach these problems; it will likely help on tests.

Quizzes: 6 short quizzes will be given in class during the semester. They will be closed book and no calculators allowed (or needed). All difficult formulas needed will be given and the quiz will be similar to some of the recent homework. The quizzes will be announced in class and on the schedule page at least one week in advance.

Project: There will be a project due worth a maximum of approximately 5% of the course grade. The project will be in the form of a web page on a topic in physics that you find interesting and we agree on together. These topics could include biographies of important scientists, scientific projects and scientific ideas. The topic must be agreed to by Feb 18th and must be competed by April. 21st. They will be graded both for presentation and content. More details will be discussed in class.

Labs: There is a lab associated with this course. ALL labs and reports must be completed to get a passing grade for the lab.
A PASSING GRADE IN THE LAB IS NECESSARY TO PASS THE COURSE.
Questions about the lab should be directed to the teaching assistent in charge of your lab or Dr. Solie (Rm114) or as a last resort me.

Hour Exams: Exams will be given during the Friday lecture as follows:

	Feb. 11, approx. Chapters 35-37 Haliday and company
	March 24, approx. Chapters 1-5    Harris

The exams will be closed-book, but you will be given one side of an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet with most of the needed equations. No calculators are allowed. The exams will be graded and handed back the following week. Solutions will be discussed and posted.

Final Exam: The final exam will be at 1:00 pm on Wed., May 3. It will cover the entire course (Chapters 35-37 Haliday and 1-? Harris), with some emphasis on the more recent material. You will be allowed one 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of notes.

Grading: The course grade will consist of the following components:

	2 hour exams	30 %
	Final exam	25 %
	Homework	10 %
	Quizzes		15 %
	Project		5 %
	Lab		15 %

Contacting Me: I have office hours 2:30 - 4:30 Mondays and Wednesday. You can drop by at other times if I'm not busy, or make an appointment. I am never available before class.

Complaints and Concerns: You are always welcome to talk to me about anything, however, if you have a non-subject matter question or concern that cannot be resolved by me contact the department chair, Dr. Watkins, Physics Department Office, room 102 NSCI.

Alternate References: To see the same topics explained differently, try the following:

	Serway; Physics for Scientists & Engineers

General Advice: Physics is not something you read and memorize, rather it is something you learn how to do. Try the following study procedure:

  1. Read the chapter prior to lecture, so that you will know what it's about.
  2. Listen carefully to the lecture and take notes.
  3. This is crucial: Do not go back and read and re-read the chapter until you "understand it." Rather, start working problems, going back through the chapter to clarify points as they come up. I suggest you try to answer all "Checkpoint" problems in the text and the questions at the end of the chapter. If you understand these, you've probably understood the salient points of the chapter.
  4. Think! Don't simply try to fit the problems into the form of another problem, think through the problem first.

NEW

Links to interesting sites:

Relativity animation this is a fly through of a city at regular and relativistic speeds.