Department of Physics

Centre for Mathematics and Physics

School of Science

MODULE HANDBOOK

PHY002
PHYSICS

M.B.N. (Thijs) Kouwenhoven

Semester 2

2021-2022
SECTION A: Basic Information

q Brief Introduction to the Module

This module will introduce the main topics in traditional physics, including Newtonian
mechanics, momentum and energy, planetary motion, collisions, rotation, vibrations
and waves, electricity and circuits, magnetism, and Maxwell’s equations, as well as
several topics in modern physics. Four laboratory sessions will be arranged. Students
will be trained to think logically and independently for solving problems related to
everyday phenomena. The content of this module is needed for studying in science
and engineering programmes.

q Key Module Information

Module name: Physics

Module code: PHY002

Credit value: 5 credits

Semester in which the module is taught: Semester 2

Pre-requisites needed for the module: MTH013 or MTH019 or MTH023 or

MTH029 or MTH025 or MTH027

Programmes on which the module is shared:

BSc Applied Mathematics
BSc Applied Chemistry
BEng Digital Media Technology
BEng Electrical Engineering
BEng Electronic Science and Technology
BEng Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering
BEng Internet of Things Engineering
BEng Mechatronics and Robotic Systems
BEng Intelligent Robotics Engineering
BEng Telecommunications Engineering

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q Delivery Schedule

Lecturer Lecture times Lecture theatre

M.B.N. (Thijs) Kouwenhoven Maths Building A
Office: MB528 MA104
[email protected] All groups have three two- Student group 01
hour lectures each week:
Hao Yu Maths Building A
Office: MB532 Monday, 15:00-17:00 MA116
[email protected] Wednesday, 11:00-13:00 Student group 02
Friday, 09:00-11:00
Xiaoying Pang Maths Building A
Office: MB238 Online access to the MA204
[email protected] lectures is provided Student group 03
through Zhumu. Links to
Chen Xuan the Zhumu rooms of the Maths Building A
Office: MB519B teachers are available on MA216
[email protected] the LearningMall. Make Student group 04
sure you go to the correct
Bingsui Lu Zhumu room, because of Public Building
Office: MB219A the QR code for PB402
[email protected] attendance recording. Student group 05

Tiago Adorno Public Building

Office: MB219B PB418
[email protected] Student group 06

Yan Zhao All students have different Foundation Building

Office: MB254 times for the physics Physics laboratories
[email protected] laboratories; see eBridge FB, 4th floor

q Module Leader and Contact Details

Name: M.B.N. (Thijs) Kouwenhoven

Brief Biography: M.B.N. (Thijs) Kouwenhoven obtained his PhD in astrophysics from
the University of Amsterdam. After that he worked as a teacher and researcher at the
University of Sheffield, at Peking University, and at XJTLU.

Preferred means of contact: Email

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SECTION B: What you can expect from the module

q Educational Aims of the Module

1. To appreciate the importance of simplification of complex physical phenomena, the

establishment of ideal model, and its extension to a more realistic description of
nature. To train the students' ability to think logically and independently and to
acquire the skills of problem solving.
2. To enhance student understanding how the real physics world works and inspire
students to creatively explore hypotheses through experimentation.
3. To provide an experimental foundation for the theoretical concepts introduced in
the lectures.
4. To familiarize students with the experimental apparatus, the scientific method and
tools of experimental data analysis.

q Learning Outcomes

A. Demonstrate an understanding of core knowledge in classical physics, including

the major premises of classical mechanics and electromagnetism
B. Develop a familiarity with the experimental verification of our theoretical laws, and
an ability to apply the theoretical framework to describe and predict the motions
of bodies;
C. Describe the ways in which various concepts in electromagnetism come into play
in particular situations;
D. Represent these electromagnetic phenomena and fields mathematically in those
situations;
E. Use the scientific method to come to understand the enormous variety of
mechanical and electromagnetic phenomena in terms of a few relatively simple
laws.

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q Assessment Details

Details about the final exam, the coursework, and the laboratory reports will be
provided on the LearningMall page of PHY002.

Initial assessment:

Assessment type Learning outcomes Contribution to final

assessed mark
001 – Coursework A, C, D, E 15 %
002 – Laboratory reports B 15 %
003 – Final exam (120 minutes) A, C, D, E 70 %

Resit assessment:

Assessment type Learning outcomes Contribution to final

assessed mark
R001 – Resit exam (120 minutes) ALL 100 %

q Methods of Learning and Teaching

Students will be expected to attend six hours lectures/tutorials per week. Students will
be expected to devote more than nine hours of unsupervised time to private study.
Private study will provide time for reflection and consideration of lecture material and
background reading. Students will be required to attend all scheduled sessions of the
physics lab section. In addition, students will be expected to research each topic before
coming to lab class. The pre-lab handout will give some background for study, and will
include a few specific questions. Moreover, for each lab session, students will be
required to submit a formal lab report within two weeks after that lab session.

The office hours schedule will be provided on the LearningMall page of PHY002.

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q Syllabus & Teaching Plan

This teaching plan is for reference only. The teacher may decide to deliver the lecture
contents in a different lecture than scheduled below.

Week Lecture Topic

W8 L1 General Introduction to the module and the lecturer
Chapter 1: Introduction, Measurement, Estimating
Revision on Units and Orders of Magnitude
Dimension and Dimensional Analysis
Chapter 2: Kinematics in One Dimension
§ 2-1 Reference frames and displacement
§ 2-2 Average velocity
§ 2-3 Instantaneous velocity
§ 2-4 Instantaneous acceleration
§ 2-5 Motions at constant acceleration
§ 2-6, § 2-7 Freely falling objects
§ 2-8 Variable acceleration
Chapter 3: Kinematics in Two or Three Dimensions
§ 3-1, § 3-2, § 3-3, § 3-4, § 3-5 Revision on vectors
§ 3-6 Vector Kinematics
§ 3-7, § 3-8 Projectile motions
§ 3-9 Relative Velocity

L2 Chapter 4: Dynamics: Newton’s Laws of Motion

§ 4.1, § 4.2, § 4.3, § 4.4, § 4.5 Newton’s Laws of Motion
§ 4.6, § 4.7 Weight, normal force, free-body diagrams
Chapter 5: Using Newton’s laws
§ 5-1 Applications involving friction
§ 5-2, § 5-3, § 5-4 Uniform circular motion – kinematics and dynamics
§ 5-5 Nonuniform circular motion
§ 5-6 Velocity dependent forces
Chapter 6: Gravitation
§ 6-1, § 6-2, § 6-3, § 6-4 Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

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 L3 Chapter 6: Gravitation (continued)
§ 6-5 Kepler’s laws and Newton’s Synthesis
Chapter 7: Work and Energy
§ 7-1, § 7-2 Work done by a constant force
§ 7-3 Work done by a varying Force
§ 7-4 Kinetic energy and the Work-Energy Principle
Chapter 8: Conservation of Energy
§ 8-1 Conservative and non-conservative Forces
§ 8-2 Potential Energy
§ 8-3, § 8-4 Mechanical energy and its conservation
§ 8-5, § 8-6 Dissipative forces
§ 8-7 Gravitational potential energy and escape velocity
§ 8-8 Power

W9 L4 Chapter 9 Linear Momentum

§ 9-1 Momentum and its relation to force
§ 9-2 Conservation of momentum
§ 9-3 Collisions and impulse
§ 9-4, § 9-5, § 9-6 § 9-7 Energy and momentum in collisions

L5 Chapter 9: Linear Momentum (continued)

§ 9-8, § 9-9 Center of mass
§ 9-10 Systems of variable mass [optional]
Chapter 10: Rotational Motion
§ 10-1, § 10-2 Angular quantities
§ 10-3 Constant angular acceleration
§ 10-4 Torque
§ 10-5, § 10-6 Rotational dynamics

L6 Chapter 10: Rotational Motion (continued)

§ 10-7 Determining moments of inertia
§ 10-8, § 10-9 Rotational kinetic energy
Exercises: linear momentum and rotational motion

W10 L7 Chapter 11: Angular Momentum

§ 11-1 Angular momentum
§ 11-2 Torque as a vector
§ 11-3 Angular momentum of a particle
§ 11-4 Angular momentum for a system of particles

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 L8 Chapter 11: Angular Momentum (continued)
§ 11-5 Angular momentum: rigid bodies
§ 11-6 Angular momentum conservation
§ 11-7 Spinning top and gyroscope [optional]
Chapter 12: Static Equilibrium
§ 12-1, § 12-2 The conditions for equilibrium
§ 12-3 Stability and balance
Chapter 14: Oscillations [brief introduction]
Chapter 15: Wave motion [brief introduction]

L9 Chapter 21: Electric Charge and Electric Field

§ 21-1 Static electricity; Electric charge and Its conservation
§ 21-2 Electric charge in the atom
§ 21-3 Insulators and conductors
§ 21-4 Induced charge; the electroscope
§ 21-5 Coulomb’s Law
§ 21-6 Electric field
§ 21-7 Electric field calculations for continuous charge distribution

W11 --- No lecture on Monday 2 May 2022 (University closed day)

L10 Chapter 21: Electric Charge and Electric Field (continued)

§ 21-8 Field lines
§ 21-9 Electric field and conductors
§ 21-10 Motion of a charged particle in an electric field
§ 21-11 Electric dipoles
Exercises

L11 Chapter 22: Gauss’s Law

§ 22-1 Electric flux
§ 22-2 Gauss’s law
§ 22-3 Applications of Gauss’s Law
Exercises: electric fields

W12 L12 Chapter 23: Electric Potential

§ 23-1 Electric potential energy and potential difference
§ 23-2 Relation between electric potential and electric field
§ 23-3 Electric potential due to point charges
§ 23-4 Potential due to any charge distribution
§ 23-5 Equipotential surfaces
§ 23-6 Electric dipole potential

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 L13 Chapter 23: Electric Potential (continued)
§ 23-7 Electric field determined from electric potential
§ 23-8 Electrostatic potential energy; the electron-volt
Chapter 24: Capacitance, Dielectrics, Electric Energy Storage
§ 24-1 Capacitors
§ 24-2 Determinations of capacitance
§ 24-3 Capacitors in series and parallel
§ 24-4 Electric energy storage
§ 24-5 Dielectrics

L14 Chapter 25: Electric Currents and Resistance

§ 25-1, § 25-2, § 25-3, § 25-4 Batteries, electric currents and Ohm’s Law
§ 25-5, § 25-6 Electric power
§ 25-8 Microscopic view of electric current
Chapter 26: DC Circuits
§ 26-1 Electromotive force (EMF)
§ 26-2 Resistors in series and parallel
§ 26-3 Kirchhoff’s Rules
§ 26-4 EMF in series and parallel
§ 26-5 RC Circuits

W13 L15 Chapter 27: Magnetism

§ 27-1 Magnets and magnetic fields
§ 27-2 Electric currents produce magnetic field
§ 27-3 Force on an electric current in a magnetic field
§ 27-4 Force on electric charge moving in a magnetic field
§ 27-5 Torque on a current loop; magnetic dipole moment
§ 27-7 Properties of electron
§ 27-8 The Hall Effect

L16 Chapter 28: Sources of Magnetic Field

§ 28-1 Magnetic Field Due to Straight Wire
§ 28-2 Force between Two Parallel Wires
§ 28-3 Definitions of the Ampere and the Coulomb
§ 28-4 Ampere’s Law
§ 28-5 Magnetic Field of a Solenoid and a Toroid

L17 Chapter 28: Sources of Magnetic Field (continued)

§ 28-6 Biot-Savart Law
§ 28-7 Magnetic Materials
Exercises: magnetism

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W14 L18 Chapter 29: Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday’s Law
§ 29-1 Induced EMF
§ 29-2 Faraday’s Law of Induction; Lenz’s Law
§ 29-3 EMF Induced in a moving conductor
§ 29-4 Electric generators
§ 29-6 Transformers

L19 Chapter 29: Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday’s Law (continued)

§ 29-7 A changing magnetic flux produces an electric field
Chapter 30: Inductance [optional]
§ 30-1, § 30-2 Inductance [optional]
Exercises: Faraday’s Law

L20 Chapter 31: Maxwell’s equations and EM waves [brief introduction]

Chapter 37: Quantum theory [brief introduction]
Chapter 38: Quantum mechanics [brief introduction]
Exercises: classical mechanics and electromagnetism
Revision of classical mechanics and electromagnetism

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q Reading Materials

Mandatory textbook is a required book in either print or electronic format for a

module that students are obligated to purchase.

PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS WITH MODERN PHYSICS:

PEARSON NEW INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 4/E, DOUG GIANCOLI,
9781292020761, PEARSON

Optional textbook is a book in print that students can choose to purchase or not.

N/A

Reference textbook is a book in print that is considered additional or

recommended reading by academic staff and is only purchased for Library’s
collection where it can be offered for loan.

N/A

SECTION C: Additional Information

q Student Feedback
The University is keen to elicit student feedback to make improvements for each
module in every session. It is the University policy that the preferred way of
achieving this is by means of an Online Module Evaluation Questionnaire Survey.
Students will be invited to complete the questionnaire survey for this module at the
end of the semester.

You are strongly advised to read the policies mentioned below very carefully,
which will help you better perform in your academic studies. All the policies
and regulations related to your academic study can be found in ‘Student
Academic Services’ section under the heading “Policies and Regulations”
on E-bridge.

q Plagiarism, Cheating, and Fabrication of Data.

Offences of this type can result in attendance at a University-level committee and
penalties being imposed. You need to be familiar with the rules. Please see the
“Academic Integrity Policy” available on e-Bridge in the ‘Student Academic
Services’ section under the heading ‘Policies and Regulations’.

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q Rules of submission for assessed coursework
The University has detailed rules and procedures governing the submission of
assessed coursework. You need to be familiar with them. Details can be found in
the “Code of Practice for Assessment” available on e-Bridge in the ‘Student
Academic Services’ section under the heading ‘Policies and Regulations’.

q Late Submission of Assessed Coursework

The University attaches penalties to the late submission of assessed coursework.
You need to be familiar with the University’s rules. Details can be found in the
“Code of Practice for Assessment” available on e-Bridge in the ‘Student Academic
Services’ section under the heading ‘Policies and Regulations’.

q Mitigating Circumstances
The University is able to take into account mitigating circumstances, such as illness
or personal circumstances which may have adversely affected student
performance on a module. It is the student’s responsibility to keep their Academic
Advisor, Programme Director, or Head of Department informed of illness and other
factors affecting their progress during the year and especially during the
examination period. Students who believe that their performance on an
examination or assessed coursework may have been impaired by illness, or other
exceptional circumstances should follow the procedures set out in the “Mitigating
Circumstances Policy”, which can be found on e-Bridge in the ‘Student Academic
Services’ section under the heading ‘Policies and Regulations’.

q Learning Mall Online

Copies of lecture notes and other materials are available electronically through
Learning Mall Online, the University’s virtual learning environment at:
[email protected].

This document was last updated by Thijs Kouwenhoven on 26 May 2022.

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