Syllabus for PHY228, Spring 2006:
Physics 228
Optics, Relativity, and Thermal Physics -- Spring 2006
TR: 1:00PM - 2:15PM, CP367
Home Page: http://www.pa.uky.edu/~gardner/p228/spr06/
General Information:
Lecturer: Prof. Susan Gardner
Office: CP 387B
Phone: 257-4391
E-mail: gardner"_at_"pa.uky.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Textbooks: Taylor & Wheeler: Spacetime Physics, 2nd Edition;
Serway & Jewett: Physics For Scientists and Engineers,
6th Edition, 2004.
Course Description and Prerequisites
Physics 228 is the second part of a three-semester survey
of classical physics. It should be
taken after Phy 231 (Mechanics) and before Phy 232 (Electricity & Magnetism)
and uses the textbook
required for these courses (Serway & Jewett).
I expect that we will spend roughly six weeks on relativity, three
weeks on optics, and five weeks on thermal physics.
This course does not require any prior knowledge of physics, yet
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and simple integration and
differentiation will be used extensively. Consequently,
MA 114 is a prerequisite for this course, though it may be
taken concurrently.
Appendix B of Serway & Jewett contains a nice overview
of the mathematics used in this course -- you should examine
it carefully to determine what you might need to brush up on.
Components of PHY228
Lecture
The lectures will roughly follow the course of the book, yet it is
important that you attend every lecture. The lectures flesh out the
text and will enable you to digest the material.
Reading the assigned portions of the textbooks
prior to class is an essential step towards
this end. You will also be asked to work in-class exercises on a
regular basis.
Homework
Homework will be given each week.
Grading Policy:
Your grade will be based on the following criteria. There will
be two examinations during the course of the semester, as well as
a final examination, for a total of three written
examinations. All the examinations are
comprehensive in nature.
You will also receive points for your
performance on the exercises given
during the lecture sections. Your in-class points are based on
5 out of a total of 7 (anticipated) exercises; your two lowest scores
will be dropped. This allows you to miss two lecture exercises
due to unanticipated reasons without penalty.
Use these dates wisely.
In addition you will earn points for your performance on the homework.
Your homework points are based on 10 out of a total of 12 (anticipated)
homeworks;
your two lowest homework scores will be dropped. This allows you
to miss two homework deadlines
due to unanticipated reasons without penalty. Use these dates wisely.
Your final grade will be based on your total performance
with respect to the other members of the class.
| Grade Components |
PHY228 |
| In-class Tests(2)
| 2x150
|
| Final
| 300
|
| Homework
| 300
|
| In-class
| 100
|
| Total
| 1000
|
Your homework grade will be determined as follows.
Homework for the section on relativity will be given from
Taylor & Wheeler; homework for the sections on optics and
thermal physics will be administered through an online homework service.
Further details on the online homework will be forthcoming.
To develop mastery, you should also try to solve
appropriate
problems at the end of each chapter in the course textbooks.
(Numerical answers to odd-numbered problems appear in the back of
Serway & Jewett and Taylor & Wheeler.)
Your lowest two weekly homework scores will be dropped before calculating
the semester's homework score. Late homework cannot be accommodated
by the online homework service, so that I cannot accept work brought to me
after the homework due date.
You should print a copy of your weekly scores for your own records.
Note: The total weight of the homework is 30% or 300 points out
of 1000 points.
The number of points for each online
homework assignment will be 100, and
the point totals
for the written homeworks will be rescaled as well,
so that a total
of (10 * 100) = 1000 points can be accumulated.
These 1000 points will be rescaled to
300 points at the end of the semester.
Our emphasis is on an understanding of the underlying physics concepts
as well as on problem-solving skills. In addition to being able to solve
all of the assigned problems, you are
expected to be able to apply the concepts
involved in these problems to somewhat different situations.
You are encouraged to focus on gaining an understanding of the
physical concepts involved rather than merely memorizing formulas and
plugging in numbers. This may involve qualitative and occasionally
creative answers to questions or
problems. It is thus good practice if you do try to solve
additional problems from the textbooks.
Your in-class grade will be determined as follows.
Every other week or so an exercise
will be given;
you are encouraged to solve your
work sheet in groups.
The exercises are meant to give you
more help on topics deemed to be especially challenging, so that
you can digest the new topics more easily.
You are encouraged to discuss the questions posed with your peers and
with your instructor, but the end of the exercises
is to understand the principles involved for yourself. You are asked, then,
to write down your solutions independently, in your own words.
The work sheets will be collected near the end of the session
and will be graded
for a maximum total of 3 points. The total number of in-class points
will be rescaled to
100 points at the end of the semester.
Your final grade will be based on a curve, yet it seems reasonable to
guarantee that an appropriate grade will be received for a certain
absolute level of performance. Thus, obtaining the following percentages
will grant you no worse than the grade indicated.
| If you get: |
Your grade cannot be lower than ... |
| 90% or more of the total points |
A |
| 80% or more of the total points |
B |
| 60% or more of the total points |
C |
| 50% or more of the total points |
D |
| 0% or more of the total points |
E |
The above standard allows you to estimate your lowest
possible grade in the course throughout the semester.
If you miss a test with a valid excuse, you will receive a score
based on the average of your other two tests. If you miss two
or more tests, or the final examination, with a valid excuse,
you will receive a grade of incomplete
(I); you will be obliged to complete the tests or final examination
in the next semester.
Examples of excusable absences are
(University Senate Rule 5.2.4.2):
(i) Illness of the student or serious illness of a member of the
student's immediate family. Written verification required.
(ii) The death of a member of the student's immediate family. Written
verification required.
(iii) Trips for members of student organizations
sponsored by an academic unit, trips for University classes, and
trips for participation in intercollegiate athletic events.
(iv) Major religious
holidays. Students are responsible for notifying the instructor
in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of
such holidays no later than the last day for adding a class.
For all excusable absences, when
feasible, the student must notify the instructor prior to the
occurrence of such absences, but in no case shall such notification
occur more than one week after the absence.
You are not allowed to consult any text book, reference book,
class notes, or any other written materials during the in-class tests,
and
the final examination. You have to provide your own calculator,
but you cannot use any program stored in the memory of the calculator.
You are to use your calculator for simple numerical operations only.
It is good for you to discuss the course material with others, but
you really must perform all your course work independently.
Copying homework does not make sense --- every student's online homework set contains
different numerical parameters.
Cheating and plagiarism in tests or exams, indeed, in all aspects of
the course, are very serious academic offenses.
Violators of the academic code are subject to punishment
in accordance to University Senate Rules section 6.3 and 6.4.
University Studies
PHY228 may be taken in partial
fulfillment of the Natural Sciences
requirements in the
UNIVERSITY STUDIES PROGRAM (USP). A good scientist or engineer
must possess knowledge of his/her discipline, as well as
be able to communicate
that knowledge effectively. The writing requirement of the USP
is satisfied through the clear, coherent,
and orderly presentation of the physics principles involved in your
written solution to problems,
using not only equations and numbers, but also words and
diagrams!
How to Do Well!
- Spend time and effort on the course work. Course work means
attending the classes and recitations, doing the homework,
reading the text materials, and thinking about the physics. You
should expect to spend at least 10 hours a week outside of lecture
completing the homework assignment and reviewing the lecture material.
- Take an active role in the learning process. Ask questions
yourself and try to determine their answers. Do more than you
are asked to do. Talk with your lecturer
if you have difficulty with the presented
concepts.
- When you read the textbooks, try to identify the main points and
understand their consequences. It will probably take some time for you
to learn to manipulate the physics concepts you learn in class.
Solving problems and discussing them with friends will help ease this process.
- When solving problems, do not plug numbers into equations blindly
until you find the "right" answer. Make
sure you understand how the problem is solved. Use only equations
that are directly related to the principles involved. Write down
your solution step by step in a clear manner, so that all can understand
the logic of your approach.
On-line Course Evaluations
Course evaluations are an important and mandatory component of
our department's instructional
management system. The on-line course evaluation system
was developed to minimize the
loss of classroom time and to allow each student
ample time to evaluate each component of the
course and its associated instructor, providing
meaningful numeric scores and
detailed commentary.
The evaluation window for Spring 2006 will open on Monday, April 10, 2006 and
close on Monday, April 24, 2006. To access the system during this window,
simply go to the Department of Physics & Astronomy web page at
http://www.pa.uky.edu,
click on the
link for Course Evaluations, and follow the instructions.
You will need to use your student ID# to log into the system; this
allows us to monitor who has filled out evaluations.
However, when you login you will be assigned a random number,
so that all you comments and scores will remain anonymous.
Page maintained by: S. Gardner.
Last modified: Wed Jan 11 20:55:12 EST 2006