Physics 231

Fundamentals of Physics:
Electricity and Magnetism

Fall 2006


Instructor: Dr. Thomas Handler

Office: 226E Ayres Hall

Phone: 974-7820

Email: thandler@utk.edu

Class Hours: 08:00 - 08:50 Mon/Wed

Office Hours: 09:00 - 10:00 Mon/Wed or by appointment


Textbook:

Required: Young & Freedman, University Physics, 11th Edition with Modern Physics

Suggested: Wells & Slusher Physics for Engineering and Science, Schaum’s Outline Series or any other similar physics problem solving book.


General Course Description;

This course is intended to provide a foundation in electricity & magnetism as well as an introduction to DC & AC circuits. The course will cover the material in chapters 21–31 of Young and Freedman.


Prerequisites:

The course and textbook presume a familiarity with calculus and calculus concepts. A background in mathematics up to the level of Math 141-142, or equivalent, is recommended.

It is assumed that the student is familiar with kinematic motion and with energy considerations, i.e. work, kinetic energy, potential energy and conservation of energy. If this is not the case, the student is strongly encouraged to review the material from chapters 1 – 12 of the textbook.


Grading Policy:

The semester grade will be determined from the following:

Hour Tests & Final Exam will comprise 58% of the final semester grade

There will be three 1 Hour Tests, counting for 34% ( The 1st two exams count 12% each while the 3rd exam counts 10%) of the final grade and one Final Exam counting for 24% of the final grade. The final exam is cumulative. No hour exam score will be dropped and ordinarily no make-up hour exams will be given. However, if there are documentable circumstances, a makeup will be considered. Hour exams will be closed book, but a list of useful equations and constants will be provided.

A MISSED FINAL EXAMINATION IS EXCEPTIONALLY SERIOUS

Laboratory Scores will comprise 24% of the final semester grade.

While laboratory work will be graded by each Lab Instructor independently, an effort will be made to insure a uniform grading policy between different laboratory sections.

Laboratory make-ups are entirely at at the lab instructor’s discretion and arrangements for such must be made with the lab instructor.

Homework will comprise 18% of the final semester grade

Homework sets will be assigned using the On-Line CAPA software system ( http://homework.phys.utk.edu/). The availability of the problem sets will be announced in class with the available time for each set being ~ 1 week. Due dates for problem sets are firm. There will be ~11 problem sets

NO EXTENSIONS OR MAKE-UP PROBLEM SETS WILL BE GIVEN

Grading Scale

Your grade will be determined using the number determined from the above description. The grade boundaries are:

A 90 and above
B+ 88 and above
B 80 and above
C+ 78 and above
C 70 and above
D 60 and above
F below 60

Problem Solving

If you have difficulty in solving problems, you can find some problem solving tips at http://cpt.phys.utk.edu/~th/tips.html


Examination Schedule:

Examination Date Review Material Formula Sheet Exam Solutions Date Returned
Test I: Sept. 27
8:00-8:50 am
Exam I Formula I Exam I Oct. 4, 2006
Test II: Nov 1
8:00-8:50 am
Exam II Formula II Exam II Nov. 6, 2006
Test III: Dec. 4
8:00-8:50 am
Exam III Formula III Exam III Dec. 5, 2006
Final Exam: Dec. 11
8:00-10:00 am
Final Formula III Final Dec 12, 2006

Dates for hour exams are provisional and are subject to change as situations may warrant. Date changes will be announced in class. It is the student’s responsibility to verify exam dates.


Previous Examinations:

As some of your colleagues have access to previous exams, in order to level the playing field for all, previous exams and their solutions are being made available to one and all. Note that the exams for this semester may or may not be like previous years.

Term        
Fall 2003 Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Final
Fall 2004 Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Final
Fall 2005 Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Final


Examination Grading:

If you have any questions concerning the grading of a particular examination, you have one week from the time that the examination is returned in class. After one week, the grade is final!

Please note that in the grading of individual problems, a correct answer obtained by erroneous means will count for zero points.


Academic Honesty

All work submitted by a student is expected to represent their own work. Students are expected to enter their own homework on the CAPA system without assistance from others. Students are expected to perform all work in conformance with the University policies regarding Academic Honesty.


Class Schedule

The class will meet formally 29 times with 26 lectures and 3 hour exams.

Readings/Lectures Subject Material
  Introduction
 Chapter 21 (Sects: 1-7) Electric Forces & Fields
 Chapter 22 (Sects: 1-5) Gauss’s Law
 Chapter 23 (Sects: 1-5) Electric Potential
 Chapter 24 (Sects: 1-4, 6) Capacitance and Dielectrics
Detailed Example Solutions
 Chapter 25 (Sects: 1-6) Current, EMF, Resistance
 Chapter 26 (Sects: 1-4) DC Circuits
First Loop Example
Second Loop Example
 Chapter 27 (Sects: 1-7) Magnetic Forces
 Chapter 28 (Sects: 1-8) Sources of Magnetic Fields
 Chapter 29 (Sects: 1-5, 7) Electromagnetic Induction
 Chapter 30 (Sects: 1-5) Inductance
 Chapter 31 (Sects: 1-3) AC Circuits

Lecture slides will be posted as PDF files as the lectures and the semester progresses.