General Physics II, PHYS-UA 12

Tuesday, Thursday
Dr. Andre Adler

Spring 2016

Skirball Theatre

Department of Physics

9:30 10:45 a.m.

Course Description
This course is an introduction to electricity and magnetism, light, geometrical and wave optics. Many
concepts from General Physics I will be used in this course such as: position, velocity, acceleration,
force, Newtons laws of motion, work and energy. The course uses high school algebra, geometry and
trigonometry, vectors and vector arithmetic, and some calculus. Calculus will be used in class but
sparingly on exams. The algebra, geometry, and trig are absolutely essential. If some time has elapsed
since your last math course, or you feel a lack of confidence in this area, you are strongly urged to
study math intensively before we get too deeply into the physics course. The course has lecture, online
homework and laboratory portions.
Required Materials
Textbook The text for the course is University Physics, 14th edition, by Young and Freedman. In
addition to the reading assignments, homework consisting of problems from the end of the chapters is
assigned. This homework is not submitted for grading. A list of end-of-chapter problems as well as
omitted-sections from assigned chapters is to be found on NYU Classes and will be updated as we
progress through the semester.
eLearning Platforms
1. Masteringphysics this tutorial and homework system will be used to give pre-class and homework
assignments. Pre-class assignments will consist of questions whose aim is to prepare you for lecture.
Homework assignments will explore the concepts further through a variety of problem types not found
in your textbook.
2. Learning Catalytics classroom engagement system. Questions will be presented in class for you to
work on with your neighbors; responses will be entered using a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Purchasing MasteringPhysics and selecting the eText option automatically gives you access to
Learning Catalytics.
Laboratory Experiment Descriptions can be found by going to
http://physics.nyu.edu/~physlab/Lab_Main/ and clicking on General Physics II.
Course Work
Homework (via MasteringPhysics) Each week you will have an assignment provided through the
MasteringPhysics platform. The work will consist of mostly of tutorial problems, and the occasional
end-of-chapter problem, aimed at building intuition and conceptual understanding. You are allowed to
answer a question more than once; the system often gives helpful feedback with each answer you
submit.
Pre-class work (via MasteringPhysics) Reading assignments have the goal of preparing you for
lecture; they will be available to you at the end of the previous week.
In-class work (via Learning Catalytics) Requires a laptop, tablet or smartphone; in addition to
introductions to the main concepts by the instructor, every class will include presenting you with
problems to work on with your neighbors. There is ample research that shows students get more out of


an active lecture environment. To encourage this we will use the Learning Catalytics platform, that
comes with MasteringPhysics when you select the option to include the eText.
End-of-chapter problems (in University Physics, 14th edition) each week, a list discussion questions,
exercises and problems will be posted to NYU Classes. These will provide mostly quantitative work
for you to apply concepts. Though they are not submitted for grading, you are responsible for doing
them.
Exam Schedule, Assessment Weightings and Letter Grade
There will be examinations, three during the semester and one cumulative final examination.
The four exams will be based on the homework, readings, and lectures. All examinations are in
multiple-choice format and are written with the assumption you have read the assigned sections of the
book, completed the homework from the book, the MasteringPhysics assignments, and participated in
and attended the lectures. Both quantitative and conceptual questions will appear on the examinations,
as this reflects the content of the course.

Assessment
Percentage
Exam 1
10%
Exam 2
10%
Exam 3
10%
Final Exam (Cumulative)
20%
Lab
20%
Homework assignments (via MasteringPhysics) 12%
Pre-class assignments (via MasteringPhysics)
6%
In-class assignments (via Learning Catalytics) 12%
Exam Replacement Policy The grade on the final exam will replace your lowest in-class term exam
provided that your final exam score is higher (on a percentage basis).
Your total numerical score, calculated from the components listed above, correspond to the following
letter grades:
If your total percent score is at least:
90 86 82 72 68 64 54 45 40 Below 40
then you will receive a grade no lower than: A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D F
The cutoffs for each letter grade might be lowered but they will not be raised.
A formula sheet will be provided with the exam, but you will be able to see the formula sheet online on
NYU classes before the exam. You will need to bring a calculator to all exams. Sharing calculators
with other students during examinations is not allowed. You may not use a cell-phone, or any other
communication device, during the exams. Examination dates are displayed in the weekly schedule of
topics, which is on the last page of this syllabus.
Missed Exam Policy If you are excused from exams 1, 2 or 3, due to a documented medical or other
reason, the other two exams and the final exam will count for more, and a letter grade assigned at the
end of the semester. An incomplete will not be assigned.


Missed Final Exam Policy If you miss the final exam and you provide acceptable documentation, your
grade will be an incomplete (I). You are then required to take the final examination the next time the
course is given. In this case, that is during the second summer session, usually a date in mid-August.
If you cannot make that date, then the next opportunity to take the make up exam is in May 2017.
If you miss an exam due to medical reasons, give your medical documentation to me in person. Please
do not send it to me via email.
Laboratory Sessions
You will attend laboratory weekly; laboratory sessions will be held in Rooms 222/223 of
Meyer Hall. The schedule of labs is on the last page. The laboratory grade will be based on an
average over all labs, but the lowest lab grade will be dropped before the average is calculated. Any
lab missed without a doctors note or prior arrangement with the instructor counts as a zero. There are
no make up sessions for missed laboratories. You may not attend a laboratory that you are not
registered for.
It is important to bring a calculator and your laboratory experiment description to the laboratory
sessions. Your laboratory instructor will provide more information regarding the policy for handing in
lab reports.
MasteringPhysics
Homework will be assigned weekly using MasteringPhysics, an online tutorial and homework
system. You will access them on www.masteringphysics.com. The MasteringPhysics course ID for
the Spring 2016 semester of General Physics II is MPADLER38925. You will not be able to access
homework without this course ID.
You must first learn how to use the system properly. To aid you in this, your first assignment
is called Introduction to MasteringPhysics. While it will not contribute to your grade, it is strongly
recommended that you complete this assignment. This assignment will introduce you to the wide
variety of questions you will encounter, such as sorting questions, ranking questions, and
graphing questions. The system also provides hints for many individual problems. You should
familiarize yourself with the grading policy as it pertains to homework, including hints.
Email Policy
If you need to speak with Prof. Adler, but are unable to come to office hours, please use email
to send a message to Prof. Adler requesting an appointment. Include the days and times you are
available.
Optional Help
1. Free physics review sessions, exam reviews, and one-on-one tutoring by upper-level
undergraduate physics majors in the Meyer Building, Room 421. The sessions run Monday through
Friday, at many different times during the day. The physics majors will be able to help you with the
course concepts and the homework problems assigned from the textbook. This is a great place to go
for help. You can go to as many sessions as you wish. Ideally, you should go on a weekly basis.
physics.as.nyu.edu/object/physics.ug.tutoring
2. Free peer tutoring, Study Slams, group reviews, workshops, and more!!
University Learning Center
www.nyu.edu/ulc
ULC@Academic Resource Center, 18 Washington Place, Lower Level
ULC@UHall, 110 East 14th Street, top of stairs by UHall Commons
Achieve Excellence!


Date

Chapter Title

Ch. #

Laboratory

T Jan 26

Electric Charge and Electric Field

21

Week of 1/25: No Lab

R Jan 28

Electric Charge and Electric Field

21

T Feb 2

Electric Potential

23

R Feb 4

Electric Potential

23

T Feb 9

Capacitance and Dielectrics

24

R Feb 11

Capacitance and Dielectrics

24

T Feb 16

Current, Resistance, and Electromotive Force

25

R Feb 18

Current, Resistance, and Electromotive Force

25

T Feb 23

Direct-Current Circuits

26

Week of 2/22: Oscilloscope

R Feb 25

Exam 1: 9:30 to 10:45 am, Skirball

T Mar 1

Direct-Current Circuits

26

Week of 2/29: Voltage, Current and Resistance I

R Mar 3

Magnetic Field and Magnetic Forces

27

T Mar 8

Magnetic Field and Magnetic Forces

27

R Mar 10

Sources of Magnetic Field

28

T Mar 22

Sources of Magnetic Field

28

Week of 3/21: RC Circuit

R Mar 24

Exam 2: 9:30 to 10:45 am, Skirball

T Mar 29

Electromagnetic Induction

29

Week of 3/28: Current Balance

R Mar 31

Electromagnetic Induction

29

T Apr 5

The Nature and Propagation of Light

33

R Apr 7

The Nature and Propagation of Light

33

T Apr 12

Geometric Optics

34

R Aug 14

Geometric Optics

34

T Apr 19

Interference

35

Week of 4/18: Snells Law

R Apr 21

Exam 3: 9:30 to 10:45 am, Skirball

T Apr 26

Interference

35

Week of 4/25: The Human Eye

R Apr 28

Diffraction

36

T May 3

Diffraction

36

R May 5

Questions from the Class

Friday, May 13

Final Exam: 2:00 3:50 pm

Week of 2/1: No Lab

Week of 2/8: E Field Mapping

Week of 2/15: No Lab

Week of 3/7: Voltage, Current and Resistance II

Week of 4/4: Measurement of e/m

Week of 4/11: EM Induction

Week of 5/2: Interference

Cumulative

Location: TBA