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PHYS 261H:
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Instructor:
Dr. Bira van Kolck
Office: PAS 386B Office Hours: W 2:30-4:30pm E-mail: vankolck@physics.arizona.edu Phone: 520-621-4230 Lectures: MWF 9:00-9:50am in PAS 220, 08/26/13 - 12/11/13 Lab: M 1:00-3:50pm or 5:00-7:50pm in PAS 216, 08/26/13 - 12/11/13 TA: Anirban Kundu Office: PAS 473 Office Hours: T 3.30-4.30pm E-mail: kunduan@email.arizona.edu Phone: 520-548-2117 Course Website: www.physics.arizona.edu/~vankolck/phys261h-fall13.html Course Description This course introduces the elementary concepts of electricity and magnetism leading to their unification by Maxwell, and the subsequent understanding of the nature of light, radio, and other radiation. Because it governs the structure of atoms, molecules and materials (and their interactions with radiation), electromagnetism is of fundamental importance, for example standing at the core of the semiconductor revolution that continues nowadays with the development of wireless technology. The methods developed in the study of interactions among charges are used extensively in physics, and the quest for a grand unification with other interactions (weak, strong, gravitational) is one of the main goals of modern physics.We will study the generation of electric and magnetic fields by stationary and moving charges, and conversely, the behavior of charges and currents in the presence of external fields. We will also see how currents can be exploited to transfer energy and information. At the end of the course, you should be able to explain the meaning of each of Maxwell's equations, and how they subsume all the physics discussed in the course. Requisites This course is part of the sequence PHYS 161-162-261-263. The official pre-requisite is PHYS 141 or 161H and the official co-requisite is MATH 223. A mastery of (differential and integral) vector calculus will be essential for your success in the course.PHYS 261 is considered the toughest and most mathematically sophisticated of the lower-division physics courses. Students should be mentally prepared for challenging material and a heavy time commitment. Textbook The required textbook is H.D. Young and R.A. Freedman, University Physics, 13th Edition. (Note: Students who decide to use an earlier edition may do so at their own risk. References made in this course are to sections and problems in the 13th edition. Students will be held responsible for reading the correct sections and working out the correct homework problems.)Lectures Students are expected to attend every lecture. Lectures will cover the most important concepts in chapters 21-32 of the textbook, and on occasion also material that is not in the text. You will be held responsible for all material covered and announcements made during the lecture, even if you miss it, as well as for reading these chapters, including topics not covered in class.Homework Problem solving is the essence of this course, so there will be lots of homework. Problem sets will be assigned approximately once a week and due about one week after they are announced, at the beginning of the lecture. Since we might discuss homework solutions in class, no late homework will be accepted. Start on the problem set early and to use my office hours for questions. It is a good idea to discuss the problems with other students, but the write-up must be done individually.Problem solutions will be made available at http://d2l.arizona.edu. The two lowest homework scores during the semester will be dropped. Homeworks will count 20% towards the final grade. Lab Students are required to attend and participate in all activities of their scheduled laboratory sessions. A detailed list of Lab policies, including grading, will be distributed in the Lab.The Lab will count 20% towards the final grade. You must pass the Lab in order to pass the course. Exams There will be four midterm exams and a final exam. Unless otherwise noted, an exam refers to all the material covered by the exam date, but emphasis will be on topics not covered by a previous exam. All exams will be closed-book, closed-notes, with no calculators allowed.The class exams are tentatively scheduled for Sep 20, Oct 14, Nov 06, and Dec 06. Definitive dates will be announced in class a week or two before the respective exam. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 17, 8-10am. A missed exam due to an excused or planned absence that is documented ahead of time by the student will be substituted with a make-up exam or an alternative arrangement at the discretion of the instructor. The lowest midterm score will be dropped. Exams will count 60% towards the final grade, with each midterm contributing 10% and the final exam, 30%. Grading All work to be considered for regrade must be submitted at most one week after the graded work was returned to the student. Total scores will be determined from the weighted average described above, that is:
The final letter grade will be determined by a
fixed point scale:
Other Items E&M is an important subject, and there are many sources that help the learning process. For example, you might find it useful to consult other references, such as (in order of increasing sophistication)
There is also a consultation room located in
PAS
372, which is staffed
by graduate students and professors who provide free
tutoring throughout the week.
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