PHY212 Spring 2009

Electromagnetism

Course Webpage: phy.syr.edu/~xxing/teaching/phy212

You can find the following:

A few things to remember:

  1. Please read the syllabus carefully.
  2. Due to large number of emails I receive,I will not be able to reply any question that is answered on the web page.
  3. You will receive announcement via email from the blackboard.

Textbooks and other required hardwares:  (available in university bookstore)

  1. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, a Strategic Approach, second edition,
    by Randall D.Knight, Volume 4, Published by Addison Wesley
  2. Also the student workbook comes with the textbook
  3. PRS RF Student Clicker/Remote

Physics Prerequisite  Physics 211

Math Prerequisite and Co-requisite

Completion of a first course in calculus is required, with a passing grade and enrollment in the second semester of calculus.

Laboratory

You must also register for PHY 222, the one-credit laboratory course, unless you passed PHY 222 previously. This is a mandatory co-requisite for enrollment in PHY 212.

Insotructor of PHY222: Peter Saulson will talk to you for a few minutes.

Blackboard

You will receive announcment every week from the University Blackboard System.
The announcement will also be posted on the course webpage.
Also please check Blackboard system (http://blackboard.syr.edu) for your grade. Report any error to your Workshop TA.

Office Hours

• Prof. Sean Xing: Tue & Thu, 2:00-3:00pm, Room 205 Physics Building.

• TA's: See physics clinic schedule.

Course objectives:

  1. To develop a good understanding of important concepts in electromagnetism
  2. To apply these concepts to familiar and unfamiliar situations
  3. To solve physics problems  (both qualitative and qualitative ones)

Reading assignments:

will be emailed to you, and will also be posted on the course webpage each week in the preceding weekend.
You are strongly urged to do the reading in advance.
There maybe some clicker questions at the beginning of lecture to test your reading assignment.   

Clickers:

clicker

During the lectures, please respect others by turning off cell phone and keep quite in auditorium

 

Workshops

Two one-hour workshops each week, where the students learn to solve promlems.
Bring your workbook and textbook to the workshops.

Work shop schedule 

sessions

Homework

Physics Clinic

go to http://www.phy.syr.edu/Courses.htm to find out information about physics clinic.

A Physics Clinic is operated in Room 113 of the Physics Building. The hours are posted near the door. The clinic is designed to provide help for all physics courses. You may go to any TA in the clinic at any time. If you wish to find your TA or a TA who specializes in PHY212, consult the schedule posted outside the clinic. You are encouraged to visit the clinic if you have trouble with the homework or have any questions. In addition, your TA’s clinic time is his/her office hours. In the past, some students have used the clinic as a free tutoring service, spending many hours there. This is an excellent idea! The performance of those students improved dramatically during the course of the semester, on the exams as well as on homework.

 

Exams:

Midterms: There will be three eighty-minute exams during lecture time. Each exam will focus on material from the three or four weeks prior to the week of the exam but may include earlier material as well. Sample problems from exams from previous semesters will be posted on the course website. The problems you will see in real exam will be in similar format, but different content. One of three midterms will be dropped.

Final: there will be a two-hour final. The final exam will be comprehensive.

Exam policy:

 

Breakdown of your course grade:

(H) Homeworks: 30%

(M) Midterm Exams: 40%. (Three mid terms, drop one)

(F) Final Exam 30%.

(E) Extra credits, 5% if you answer more than 60% of clicker questions.

Your home works are as important as exams!

The grades are normalized such that the average grade is a B- or better, depending on the performance of the class as a whole.

 

Regrading requests:

If you think a serious error has been made in the grading of your exam, you may request a regrade. To do so, please fill in a copy of the Regrading Request Form (available on the course web page), attach it to your exam, and resubmit at the beginning of the lecture period following the return of the exams. It is important that you do not make any changes or marks on the exam. Please note that you must have a specific complaint. Unspecified requests for additional points will not be accepted.

Academic integrity:

During the exams, it is a violation of the academic code to give or seek assistance -- the only person you may communicate with is the proctor. In the case of violations, the academic integrity policy from the Office of the Vice Chancellor & Provost will be followed.

Special accommodation:

Students requiring special accommodation because of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services and make an appointment with the instructor.

How to succeed in this course

This class proceeds at a fairly rapid pace. Most lectures will build on the previous material. As a result, it is important not to fall behind! To succeed in this class you are strongly advised to:

You can get help from: intructor, TA, and coaches.  Attend the clinic and the instructor’s office hours. You’ll more personal feedback than in the recitations.