School of Physics

Traditional Introductory Physics II
Electricity & Magnetism
PHYS 2212 G & J

Old Announcements

You are responsible for everything posted here.

Nov 22
Reading Day Study Session
The Center for Academic Success is hosting a two-hour Intro Physics Study Session at 9am on Reading Day, Wednesday, December 6, in Clough 144 and 152.
Nov 22
Final Exam Location and Format
The final exam period has been set by the Registrar's Office. The Final Exam for all PHYS 2212 sections will be administered Exam Period Twenty, Monday, Dec 11, from 6:00 to 8:50pm. Students should go to the following rooms, which are DIFFERENT from those used for the quizzes! Do NOT go to your old quiz location, or to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is very likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or exam forms in that room! The Final Exam Rules are the same as the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
The Final Exam will have four 13-point Free Response problems and sixteen 3-point Multiple-Choice questions. Some of the Multiple-Choice may require a bit more calculation than the Multiple-Choice did on the quizzes, but many will be strictly conceptual. We intend that topics in the course will be covered roughly evenly — that is, there will be no special emphasis on material after Quiz #4.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Please note:
  • Period 20 is NOT the usual period corresponding to your lecture time.
  • Except for conflicts with CS 1371, Physics will handle all other conflicts, even though standard policies might indicate otherwise
If you have not yet checked the exam schedule for conflict with your other classes, please do so immediately and notify Dr. Murray by email if you have a conflict.
Nov 20
Last Public Lecture
The last Public Lecture for "other" points this semester will be Credit will be based on attendance, recorded by TurningPoint. Full credit (one "other" point) will be issued for attending two or more Public Lectures. Half credit will be issued for attending exactly one.
Nov 17
Quiz #4 Solutions and Results
Solutions to Quiz #4 have been posted.
Results for Quiz #4 are available under PostEm on T-Square. You will find your score, your form number, your responses for multiple-choice questions 1–7, and credit issued for free-response questions I–III. You will find correct answers to the multiple-choice questions, by form number, in a table "MC Answers" on the Quiz Solutions page.
The question about the the path integral of magnetic field about a closed loop went very poorly and was converted to an extra credit question. If you wish to calculate your quiz score yourself, add the points earned on all questions other than the extra credit question. Divide the result by 0.92, and add any points earned on the (now) extra-credit question. Round properly. Scores may exceed 100%.
If you have questions or concerns about how your quiz was graded once it is returned in recitation, you should see Dr. Murray before the Final Exam is administered on Monday, December 11.
Nov 16
Leadership Coaching Deadline Extended
The Leadership Education and Development Office, a part of the Division of Student Life, has extended the application deadline for for 2018 Spring Semester One-on-One Leadership Coaching, to Monday, November 20.
Nov 15
Final Exam Period
The final exam period has been set by the Registrar's Office. The Final Exam for all PHYS 2212 sections will be administered Exam Period Twenty, Monday, Dec 11, from 6:00 to 8:50pm. A direct (Class I) conflict should be extremely unlikely, but it is possible to have three exams scheduled on the same day (a Class II conflict). Check the exam schedule for your other classes now, and contact Dr. Murray by email as soon as possible in you have a conflict. Please note:
  • Period 20 is NOT the usual period corresponding to your lecture time.
  • Except for conflicts with CS 1371, Physics will handle all other conflicts, even though standard policies might indicate otherwise
Final Exam format and locations will be announced as soon as they are determined.
Nov 10
HW wk12b Prob 3
The situation in Prob 3 on HW wk12b is difficult to picture, so a figures are available.
Nov 09
Leadership Coaching
The Leadership Education and Development Office, a part of the Division of Student Life, is accepting applilcations for 2018 Spring Semester One-on-One Leadership Coaching, but the deadline is tomorrow, Friday, November 10.
Nov 07
Quiz #4
Quiz #4 will be administered on Tuesday, November 14, at 6:00pm. Students should go to the following rooms for this quiz, which are the same as for Quizzes 2 and 3. Do NOT go to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or quiz forms in that room! You may want to review the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on the quizzes and final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Nov 01
Public Lecture Schedule
The last Public Lecture for the semester finally has a title! Credit will be based on attendance, recorded by TurningPoint. Full credit (one "other" point) will be issued for attending two or more Public Lectures. Half credit will be issued for attending exactly one.
Oct 27
Quiz #3 Results
Results for Quiz #3 are available under PostEm on T-Square. You will find your score, your form number, your responses for multiple-choice questions 1–7, and credit issued for free-response questions I–III. You will find correct answers to the multiple-choice questions, by form number, in a table "MC Answers" on the Quiz Solutions page.
Performance on the Free Response problems varied widely, so they have been reweighted. Each individual student's best problem now counts 22% of the quiz grade, their next problem counts 16%, and their poorest problem counts 10%. If you wish to calculate your quiz score yourself, be sure to give the free-response problems these weights, rather than those indicated on the quiz form.
If you have questions or concerns about how your quiz was graded once it is returned in recitation, you should see Dr. Murray before Quiz #4 is administered on Tuesday, November 14.
Oct 26
Quiz #3 Solutions and Results
Solutions to Quiz #3 have been posted. We hope to have scores available tomorrow, Friday. Quiz forms will be returned in recitation next week.
Oct 19
Unofficial Mid Term Grades
Unofficial Mid Term Grades are available under PostEm on T-Square.
Oct 19
Quiz #3
Quiz #3 will be administered on Tuesday, October 24, at 6:00pm. Students should go to the following rooms for this quiz, which are the same as for Quiz #2. Do NOT go to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or quiz forms in that room! You may want to review the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on the quizzes and final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Oct 12
Public Lecture Credit
"Results" for the first two Public Lectures are available under PostEm in T-Square. A "1" indicates that you were present and have earned credit for attending the Public Lecture on that date. Contact Dr. Murray if you have any questions or concerns.
Oct 06
Quiz #2 Solutions and Results
Solutions to Quiz #2 have been posted. Quiz forms will be returned in recitation the week after Fall Recess, as lab and recitation do NOT meet in Fall Recess week.
Results for Quiz #2 have been posted under PostEm on T-Square. You will find your score, your form number, your responses for multiple-choice questions 1–7, and credit issued for free-response questions I–III. You will find correct answers to the multiple-choice questions, by form number, in a table "MC Answers" on the Quiz Solutions page.
If you have questions or concerns about how your quiz was graded once it is returned in recitation, you should see Dr. Murray. Due to the delay caused by the Fall Recess, the deadline for contacting him is extended to Friday, October 27.
Sep 29
Progress Reports
Progress Reports (Mid-Term Grades) have been sent to the Registrar.
Sep 26
Public Lecture Schedule
We have a schedule of Public Lectures for the semester: Credit will be based on attendance, recorded by TurningPoint. Full credit (one "other" point) will be issued for attending two or more Public Lectures. Half credit will be issued for attending exactly one.
Sep 26
Quiz #2
Quiz #2 will be administered on Tuesday, October 3, at 6:00pm. Students should go to the following rooms for this quiz. Do NOT go to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or quiz forms in that room! You may want to review the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on the quizzes and final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Sep 22
Quiz #1 Results
Results for Quiz #1 have been posted under PostEm on T-Square. You will find your score, your form number, your responses for multiple-choice questions 1–10, and credit issued for free-response questions I–III. You will find correct answers to the multiple-choice questions, by form number, in a table "MC Answers" on the Quiz Solutions page.
If you have questions or concerns about how your quiz was graded once it is returned in recitation, you should see Dr. Murray. Due to the rescheduling of this quiz, the deadline for contacting him is extended to Friday, October 6.
Sep 22
Quiz #1 Solutions
Solutions to Quiz #1 have been posted. We hope to have grades posted later today. Quiz forms should be returned in recitation next week.
Sep 13
Campus Closure
Homework: The due date for wk03 assignments has been reset to 11:59pm Friday, September 15.
Lab and Recitation: Students with Monday Lab and/or Recitation will simply be excused from the meeting that was missed on the 11th. This will not use their dropped grade — they'll just have one fewer grade in their average at the end of the semester.
Lectures: Lecture topics will all be pushed back one day 'til October 11, when dielectrics will be dropped from the course. A revised schedule has posted to the class site. Homework assignments and the Quiz #2 topics will be adjusted accordingly.
Sep 13
Quiz #1 Rescheduled
Quiz #1 will be now administered on Tuesday, September 19, at 6:00pm. Students should go to the following rooms for this quiz. Do NOT go to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or quiz forms in that room! You may want to review the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on the quizzes and final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Sep 06
Quiz #1
Quiz #1 will be administered on Tuesday, September 12, at 6:00pm. Note that this is 5 minutes earlier than orignally posted. Students should go to the following rooms for this quiz. Do NOT go to the location listed in OSCAR (unless, of course, it just happens to match the location below). If any student goes to the wrong room, it is likely that there will be insufficient seats and/or quiz forms in that room! You may want to review the Quiz Rules. Don't forget your photo ID.
Remember that calculators that cannot store text may be used on the quizzes and final exam. Note that if your calculator keypad includes a complete alphabet, that's a very good sign that it cannot be used. Do not expect to be provided with an appropriate calculator if you do not bring your own.
Remember our expectations for your work on the free response problems, which are the same good problem-solving practices you should be using on the homework, anyway.
  • Units should be shown with any value that has a unit
  • Algebraic manipulations should be performed with symbols, not values
  • Consider, but do not obsess over, significant figures
You may find an example helpful.
Sep 05
WebAssign Issues
Extra credit and the penalty for using more than 4 attempts have been temporarily disabled for all wk02 and wk03 assignments. Our hope is that this will allow WebAssign to accept correct answers without triggering a server error. The deadline for all wk02 assignments has been reset 11:59pm Sunday, September 10. Remember that topics covered on all wk02 and wk03 assigments may appear on Quiz #1.
If you still get a server error when submitting a correct answer on a wk02 or wk03 assignment, please notify Dr. Murray.
We apologize for the disruption this issue has caused.
Sep 01
Lab and Recitation
Lab and Recitation WILL MEET in Labor Day week (but not actually on Labor Day, of course). Remember that the Lab and Recitation schedules are posted, so you can check them if you are ever wondering if they'll meet.
Sep 01
Recitation
Solutions to the first recitation problem has been posted. This will be done after each recitation is complete, and so will not normally be announced.
Aug 24
Class Participation Scores for Practice
Raw scores for questions polled in class on Wednesday, August 23, are available under PostEm in T-Square. Since the first week is for practice, these points don't matter. If you see non-zero scores, you know that your account is active and your answers are being received. If you believe you have activated your TurningPoint account and answered questions in class that day, but are seeing scores of zero, or no scores at all, contact Dr. Murray.

First Day:

Cover of Text Text
Not surprisingly, all students will need a text. We'll be using Physics for Scientists and Engineers — A Strategic Approach (Fourth Edition) by Randall D. Knight.

Attendance
You may be interested in the distribution of course grades by class attendance in PHYS 2212 for more than 2500 students from Fall 2004, when the Knight text was adopted, through Spring 2008.

Students who attend class earn better grades

You should be aware that there is a wealth of historical data in the traditional introductory physics courses that clearly point out two winning strategies: go to class and do EXTRA homework. Please take some time to look over this data; you may be surprised at how much of a difference such efforts can make, popular myths to the contrary notwithstanding.

How to Earn an "A"
Students who earned a grade of "A" in some previous semesters were invited to provide suggestions for students this semester. If you want to know how they did it, and how (we hope) you can too, read their advice.