THE POSTMA PHILOSOPHY

• I want you to succeed.
• Your success is your responsibility.
• There are a number of resources available to help you be succesful in this class. They are: classes, lecture notes, text book, homework, quizzes, office hours.
• Attendance is not taken.
• Quizzes are designed to 1) stimulate you to read ahead before a lecture 2) stimulate you to come to class. You are not required to do them, they are for extra credit.
• The language of physics is math. I go over the required math techniques in the first lectures.
• Understanding the concepts is the most important objective in this class. In my class you will be stimulated to think in terms of physical concepts, make deductions, reason, combine insights. On exams, a simple explanation of how you would solve the problem will already give most of the credit, even without writing down any equations.
• Physics is not the art of putting numbers into equations.
• I will do a few examples in class, but the most important examples are in the homework problems.
• The homework problems are designed to help you internalize the material. Give them a lot of thought. Beware of tutors who practically do the homework for you. Although convenient, these tutors are not doing you a favor. While you may get a high score on the homework, you will most likely fail the exams and final, because you did not get to think about it.
• All questions in class are welcome. Don't hesitate to ask a question. Asking questions allows you to explore the boundaries of your understanding, and - more importantly - it is the tool for exploring the boundaries of physics. Most important insights in physics start with the phrase "what would happen if ... ".

UPDATES

• 11/10/2009, units added to 1c in HW 8
• 11/9/2009,
  • E2 solutions posted
  • Extra office hours Thursday 2 - 4 pm
  • HW 8 posted
  • Schedule adjusted
• 10/28/2009, HW7 posted, postponed, and schedule adjusted
• 10/27/2009, typo parallel -> series corrected in HW4 solutions below
• 10/25/2009, there will be extra office hours on Tuesday, 10am-noon, 2-4pm in preparation for Exam 2
• 10/25/2009, Solutions to HW6 are posted in the schedule below
• 10/20/2009, ch 24 and 25 removed from Exam2, HW 7 postponed in schedule below
• 10/20/2009, Solutions to HW4 and 5 are posted in the schedule below
• 10/16/2009, HW6 is posted in the schedule below
• 10/07/2009
  • HW5 is posted in the schedule below and the due date has been changed
  • Solutions to midterm E1 are posted in the schedule below
  • Due to our needing to spend an extra lecture on discussing the midterm, the schedule has been changed
• 9/29/2009, Lecture notes covering all material up to DC circuits is here
• 9/28/2009, HW4 is posted in the schedule below
• 9/23/2009
  • Solutions to HW1,2,3 are posted in the schedule below
  • Ch 21 is moved to Exam 2
  • HW4 has been postponed
• 9/16/2009, HW3 is posted in the schedule below
• 9/7/2009, HW2 is posted in the schedule below
• 8/24/09, 10:15am: HW1 is posted in the schedule below
• 8/21/09, 12:00pm, syllabus posted

TEXTBOOK

The text book Physics by James S. Walker, Fourth Edition, Pearson - Prentice Halll. The 3rd edition can also be used.

Homework will not be done using the publisher's website.

DATE/TIME/PLACE

TIME	NAME	PLACE	COURSE ID
MW 8:00 - 9:15 am	PHYS 100B	Live Oak 1124	14984
MW 9:30 - 10:45 am	PHYS 100B		14985

INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Henk Postma,

webpage www.csun.edu/~hpostma/

email: postma@csun.edu

phone 1 818 677 6152.

OFFICE HOURS

MW 2:00 - 4:00pm, office 1120C in Live Oak. If you have classes at that time, feel free to email or phone me to make an appointment.

Email policy

Although you can expect a reply to an email sooner than that, I am committed to replying within 36 hours to your email, +24h per saturday/sunday/holiday.

ADDING CLASSES, HOMEWORK REGISTRATION and CREDIT LOCKOUT

These classes are in high demand. Permission numbers are issued by the Physics and Astronomy office. If you are not enrolled when credit-generating work is due, you will not get the credit.

Message from the Physics and Astronomy office: PLEASE NOTE, AS OF AUGUST 24, ALL CLASSES ARE FULL, AND WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO ISSUE PERMISSION NUMBERS. You are welcome to sign the waiting list, and we hope that we will be able to accommodate your request. If we are not able to fulfill your request, we ask your understanding. The University has directed us not to overfill classes because of the severe shortage of resources for this academic year. The instructor cannot issue permission numbers. Permission numbers will be given only if a registered student drops the class before the end of the third week of classes or if he/she is administratively withdrawn. If any additions can be made to the class, you will be contacted by email by the department. Please check your email frequently. Priority will go to graduating seniors who have already filed for graduation in December 2009. The next priority will go to students seeking to repeat the class. No permission numbers will be issued after the third week of classes. If you do receive a permission number, please be aware of the following University policy: A permission number is given to a specific student for a specific seat in a specific class. It is regarded as academic dishonesty to sell, give, or trade permission numbers or to use permission numbers given to another person. If a permission number is used by a student to whom the number was not issued, both the student who used the number and the student to whom the number was issued will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs for violation of the Student Conduct Code. The student who used the number will be disenrolled from the class. If a permission number fails to work, please contact the department office (818-677-2775) immediately for assistance. The permission number is set to expire after 24 hours. If it is not used, then you lose the number and the seat, and the next person on the list will be contacted. If you receive a permission number and do not wish to use it, please contact the department office so that another student on the waiting list will have an opportunity to register for the class.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an algebra based introductory physics course covering chapters 19-32 of the textbook. The topics covered include Electric Charge, Force, Field, Energy and Potential, Electric Current, Magnetism, Faraday's Law, Geometric and Wave Optics, Relativity, Quantum Physics. The required mathematical level of the course is reviewed in Appendix A of the textbook. Each and every topic is not necessarily covered during class time but students are responsible for all sections indicated on the syllabus. You should study all the material carefully, especially those planning to take the MCAT exams. The course schedule and the solutions to the assigned homework will be posted here .

COURSE OBJECTIVES

To gain basic knowledge, and understand the main principles, of Physics as applied to Electromagnetism, Optics and Modern Physics. The student should recognize the importance of the scientific method and develop strong problem-solving skills.

1. Students will gain an understanding of electric forces and fields. Practical example: static electricity.
2. Students will analyze problems involving electric potential and electric potential energy. Practical example: cardiac defibrillator .
3. Students will understand current and the properties of DC circuits. Practical example: batteries and light bulbs.
4. Students will analyze sources of magnetic field and the effects produced by magnetic fields. Practical example: compass needle responding to the Earth's magnetic field, the electric motor.
5. Students will understand electromagnetic induction and inductance. Practical example: electric generators, transformers.
6. Students will analyze the properties of mirrors and lenses. Practical example: telescopes .
7. Students will learn the concepts of interference and diffraction of light. Practical example: image resolution of the human eye.
8. Students will understand the historical basis and fundamental concepts in the modern quantum theory of matter. Practical example: electron microscope.
9. Students will learn how quantum theory is applied to gain an understanding of atoms and atomic physics. Practical example: X-rays, neon lights.
10. Students will learn the basic concepts of nuclear physics. Practical example: radioactivity, fission, fusion.

GENERAL EDUCATION

This course, together with Physics 100BL, fulfills the Subject Exploration: Natural Sciences requirements of General Education.

TESTS

You can expect the following tests:

• Two 'midterm' exams, covering parts of the material
• A comprehensive final exam
• Homework, to be announced at least a week before it's due
• Quizzes, for extra credit, testing you on preparatory material at the beginning of random lectures. This way, reading the material, and taking the test can only push your grade up. You win double: you have some more safety, and you'll actually understand the lecture much better.

Test instructions:

• The tests consist mostly of open-ended questions with subquestions and a bonus question. There will be a minimum of multiple choice questions.
• You can use any calculator you want
• Turn off your cell phone, do not put it on vibrate. If your phone so much as buzzes, or I catch you looking at it, you are considered cheating.
• You are allowed to make a formula sheet. For the 'midterm' exams: Take half a letter-size (8.5 x 5.5 inches) piece of paper, hand write (no computer) any equations, diagrams, text you want on both sides. For the final: use both sides of a letter-size piece of paper. If your sheet of paper is larger than allowed, I will come with a pair of scissors, cut it in two, and choose which half you can keep.
• You get exactly 75 minutes for the 'midterm' exams, and 2 hours for the final.
• There will be two versions of the same exam in the same class.
• There is a zero tolerance policy for cheating.

GRADING

Scores and grades can be contested up to 10 days after they have been published, afterwards they become final.

The following contributes to your class grade.

• H=Homework, a number between 0 and 1, determining maximum 10% of your grade
• E1=Exam 1, a number between 0 and 1, determining maximum 25% of your grade
• E2=Exam 2, a number between 0 and 1, determining maximum 25% of your grade
• F=Final, a number between 0 and 1, determining minimum 40% of your grade
• Q=Quizzes, as a fraction of 1. Correct answers from these will push your final grade up. If you answered all correct, your final grade will be calculated with Y putting your grade between 20% and 100%. If you don't, your grade will range from 0% to 100%. More generally stated: your final grade will be picked between Q*20% and 100%. See the equation below.
• Y=Your grade before the final Y=0.10 H + 0.25 E1 + 0.25 E2
• G=Grade, your grade for this class before adding the bonus from the quizzes
• G'=Class Grade, the grade including the quizzes G' = 0.20 Q + (1 - 0.20 Q) G

Roll-over credit: Unused percentage points from the E1, E2, Homework, roll over and add to the weight of the final.

Take the following example, illustrated in the table below. You scored 100% on your homework, earning 10% towards your class grade. You scored 60% on your first exam, earning 25% x 60% = 15% towards your class grade. You scored 80% on the second exam, earning 80% x 25% = 20% towards your class grade. Because you got less than 100% on the two exams, you have not used 15%. Ordinarily, these points are lost, and the highest grade you can get is 10%+15%+20%+40%=85%, if you get 100% on your final. I have decided to add those unused percentage points to the weight of the final. Instead of 40%, the final is therefore worth 55%, and you can still get a straight 100%. If you score 82% on the final, you earn 82% x 55% = 45%. This way you get 90% for the class without quizzes.

So

1. Your grade before the final is Y = 0.10 H + 0.25 E1 + 0.25 E1
2. The weight of the final is 1 - Y
3. Your class grade before quiz bonus is therefore G = F (1 - Y) + Y

Now assuming you got 100% on the quizzes, that means that your class grade will be at the 90% fraction between 20% and 100%, i.e. 0.20 + 0.80 x 0.90 = 92 %.

	Maximum	Before Final	Unused % are added to 40%	Final is worth 55%	grade before quiz	grade after quiz
5	10% Homework	100%	HW	HW	Class Score=90% before bonus	Grade = 92% after bonus
10
15	25% Exam 1	60%	Exam 1	Exam 1
20
25
30		Unused	Exam 2	Exam 2
35
40	25% Exam 2	80%
45
50			Unused	Final 82%
55
60		Unused	Unused
65	40%(minimum) Final		40%
70
75
80
85
90
95
100

I may curve the grade up, depending on the outcome of the tests

The letter for your class grade G' will be determined from the table below. +/- grading will be applied for grades A through D, where - indicates the lower 4% of the grade scale, and the + the higher 4%. An A+ is not given, so the whole scale is

Letter		G' between
A	in	[90%, 100%]
A-	in	[86%, 90%>
B+	in	[82%, 86%>
B	in	[76%, 82%>
B-	in	[72%, 76%>
C+	in	[68%, 72%>
C	in	[62%, 68%>
C-	in	[58%, 62%>
D+	in	[54%, 58%>
D	in	[48%, 54%>
D-	in	[44%, 48%>
F	in	[0, 44%>

HOMEWORK

All homework announcements will be done on this page, in the schedule section below.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

Tentative Class schedule Phys 100B Fall 2009, sec 1 and 2
	Material	HW
Mon. 08/24/09	Introduction
Wed. 08/26/09	review
Mon. 08/31/09	19.1 - 19.7	HW1 (review) solutions
Wed. 09/02/09
Mon. 09/07/09	Holiday
Wed. 09/09/09	Furlough
Mon. 09/14/09	20.1 - 20.6	HW2 (ch 19) Solutions
Wed. 09/16/09
Mon. 09/21/09	21.1 - 21.5	HW3 (ch 20) Solutions
Wed. 09/23/09
Mon. 09/28/09	review
Wed. 09/30/09	Exam 1 Ch 19 - 20 and Solutions
Mon. 10/05/09	21.1 - 21.5	HW4 (ch 21) and (Updated) Solutions
Wed. 10/07/09	Review Midterm
Mon. 10/12/09	22.1 - 22.7
Wed. 10/14/09		HW5 (ch 22) and Solutions
Mon. 10/19/09	23.1 - 23.6, 23.10
Wed. 10/21/09		HW6 (ch 23) and Solutions
Mon. 10/26/09	review
Wed. 10/28/09	Exam 2 Ch 21 - 23 and Solutions
Mon. 11/02/09	24.1, 25.1 - 25.5
Wed. 11/04/09	26.1 - 26.7	HW7 (ch 24, 25)
Mon. 11/09/09	28.1 - 28.4
Wed. 11/11/09	Holiday
Mon. 11/16/09	29.1 - 29.6	HW8 (ch 26)
Wed. 11/18/09		HW9 (ch 28)
Mon. 11/23/09	Furlough (Thanksgiving week)
Wed. 11/25/09	Furlough (Thanksgiving week)
Mon. 11/30/09	30.1 - 30.7	HW10 (ch 29)
Wed. 12/02/09
Mon. 12/07/09	review	HW11 (ch 30)
Wed. 12/09/09	review
Mon. 12/14/09	Final Sec 1 (8am class) 8:00 - 10:00am, LO 1124
Wed. 12/16/09	Final Sec 2 (9:30 class) 8:00 - 10:00am, LO 1124

HELPFUL TIP

Plan on spending at least 6 hours each week studying on your own. The course builds on previous materials (even Phys 100A). Though, each quiz/exam is based on a few sections, previous knowledge is always helpful if not necessary. It is difficult to catch-up if you do not keep up with the course schedule. Please reduce your outside school activities to a minimum to receive the most from your education experience at CSUN.

© Copyright 2009, Henk Postma, CSU Northridge