'Physics 2' is the second half of a general physics sequence that requires only college-level algebra and trigonometry (no calculus) as a math prerequisite.  PHY2053-54 is taken (instead of PHY2048-49) by most premedical, predental, and other preprofessional students who are not majoring in a physical science and/or do not plan to take Calculus 3 which is a co-requisite for PHY2049.
 
 

Course Information---More Than You Really Wanted to Know About PHY2054
        [but read it anyway---it might help you pass the course!]:
 
 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS, including exam results /a>
   
 
 

 #General_Info:__Text__Personnel__Addresses

 #Course_Content_and_Format

 #Homework

 #WebWork

WebWork Comments

 #Exams

 #Grading

 #Lecture_Schedule

 #Laboratories

 #Tips_and_Suggestions
 

 Sample/Practice Exams
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

General Info - Text, Personnel, Office Hours, Addresses, etc.

Required Materials:    Text: R. A. Serway and J. S. Faughn, College Physics. Sixth Edition (Saunders, 2002)
                                              Personal Response Transmitter: h-itt (Available at Bookstore; this is the same model you used in CHM204X)

Lectures:     T/R, period 4 (12:30 p.m.), NPB Main Lecture Hall  [NPB 1001]

Lecturer:     Professor  F. Eugene Dunnam---2364 NPB; telephone 392-1444 <dunnam@phys.ufl.edu>

Alternate Lecturer:    Mr. David Elm  B176 NPB  <elm@phys.ufl.edu>
                                            846-3105

Office Hours:

8638-- T/R 5, NPB 1011  [ Bao ]
8639-- W/F 3, NPB 1101  [ Manalaysay ]
8640-- W/F 5, NPB 1101  [ Wu ]
8641-- W/F 4, NPB 1220  [ Manalaysay]
9395 -- T/R 6, NPB 1220  [ Bao]
9431 -- W/F 6,  NPB  1101    [Wu ]
 

WWW:     <http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~dunnam/PS2_NS04.html>

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Laboratories:PHY2054L information, schedules, etc.

Content and Format

PHY 2054 covers electricity, magnetism, light/optics, and a few modern physics topics, encompassing the majority of the topics listed for 'Physics 2' in the MCAT outline.  Covering this amount of material in the Summer term requires us to move rapidly while sticking to a tight schedule............read on!

In the biweekly lectures, the experimental basis for many of the fundamental principles are demonstrated, the physical laws explained, and illustrative problems are worked out. The lectures expand and illustrate the textbook material, which you are expected to read before class!

You had to pass Physics 1 to get into this class so you already know that physics is a science that is both quantitative and cumulative.   A good number of the ideas and techniques learned in Physics 1 are required for understanding the new concepts introduced in PHY2054.   "Doing physics" involves applying a relatively small number of ideas that we call 'physical laws or principles'  to a wide variety of physical situations, i. e. , exercises and problems.

These many different examples/exercises/problems make the reliable memorization of specificsolutions impossibly difficult.......instead we strongly suggest that you get the needed practice by doing your homework regularly.

Summer term is the academic fast lane........the Summer C schedule allows us only 11 weeks to cover material that is spread over 14+ weeks in a normal semester.  We can fit the lecture material into the Summer term's longer class periods but you have to assimilate the material on a shorter time scale, so it’s harder to catch up if you fall behind.

If you plan to miss several classes or are trying to take  another quantitative course like math or chemistry along with  PHY2054,  WATCH OUT!!----my advice is:  DON'T TRY THIS unless your grade in Physics 1 was at least a B!!

Caution (#1 )  The bottom-line question for YOU is:  Are you realistically prepared to spend 10 or more hours per week outside of class-time on this course??...............................If not, you probably should not be taking it!

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What to Expect: Course Details

The recitation (discussion) section provides you with a smaller classroom environment in which to discuss and ask questions about details of the homework and related material.  You will get more out of the recitation if you do the homework before you go to the class.  Your recitation instructors (Ms. Bao,  Mr. Manalaysay ,  or Mr.  Wu) are free to choose their own schemes for grading:  they may assign and grade homework, give weekly quizzes, evaluate class participation, etc.  Be sure that you understand your instructor's grading system, since your recitation score  is 22% of your grade [see below].

Homework

 The suggested homework problems at the end of each chapter are those whose numbers appear in boxes.  Note that this is the minimum homework assignment,  selected to generally give an average student enough practice in the basic concepts to yield a ‘C’ grade on the exams.  Those aspiring to higher grades should work additional problems---textbook problems adjacent to the assigned ones are usually good choices.

In addition to the recommended homework, three or more selected review problems  for each chapter are listed in the Lecture Schedule.  We suggest that you try these after you've done the rest of the homework---if you can work the review problems 'cold' without much difficulty you ought to do pretty well on the exam.

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WebWork and Lecture Participation

 Click Here to Access the WebWork Page

WebWork is an on-line, quasi-interactive homework program that gives you the opportunity to augment your course score by up to 7%.  Professor Rick Field authored WebWork when we were team-teaching PHY2049 several years ago and has very kindly adapted it to this course.  WebWork is a collection of approximately 50 challenging homework problems [5 or 6 per week] in an on-line format that provides immediate right/wrong feedback  when you code in your answer(s).   You are allowed up to 10 attempts to work each problem correctly.  Your score on each week's assignment does contribute to your final grade [it works out to about 0.14% per correct answer!] but the principal goal of WebWork is to encourage you, via quick right-or-wrong response, to work regularly [and perseveringly!] at solving problems that are similar in type to those that might be on an exam.   Working together on these assignments is fine if this helps you learn [the questions are similar] but note that  the parameters change in each individual set.  Thus the correct answers to your WebWork problem set will almost certainly differ from those of colleagues and copied answers are very unlikely to be correct!.
 

Lecture Participation:  We use a Personal Response System [PRS]  to obtain input from you in each lecture.  We do this to see how well you are assimilating the material and to encourage (prod?!)  you to keep working and stay on schedule.  You are required to purchase your own h-itt (hyper-interactive teaching technologies) transmitter [$30 at the bookstore; $15 buy-back at term end].  If you used one of these in a UF chemistry course and still have it, it'll work fine here.  During each lecture [often near the beginning but not always] there will be a short quiz using the PRS.  The quiz will include at least one question from:  (1) the assigned reading for the day and (2) the material covered in the previous lecture and associated homework.  You receive one point for responding plus one point for each correct answer and the term total contributes 5% to your total point score.
  Click Here to Access the WebWork Page , register  your PRS  transmitter and obtain your WebWork PIN .****NOTE: you MUST register your  PRS transmitter along with your WebWork PIN . DO NOT try to register the PRS on the regular Physics Department h-itt pages.

Missed classes:  Summer is a busy time for all of us.  Enrolling for Summer Term courses in the Physics Department implies that you expect to meet normal attendance requirements, including taking all exams, quizzes, etc. at the regularly scheduled times.   Read on (below) for the limited policy on the make-up exam (note singularity!).  If you plan to be away for extended periods you probably should not register for this course.

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Exams

Due to the compressed schedule and  holiday/break interruptions the following testing/weighting format is adopted:
        (1) there are only three examinations, including the final exam;
        (2) the 'one-hour'  final exam is not comprehensive: it covers only material not included in Exams 1 and 2;
        (3) the weighting of the recitation score [in which most people do well] is equivalent to one exam:  22%.
For each exam, you are permitted to use a calculator and one card or page of notes no larger than 21.5 x 28 cm.  Exam questions may be based on but are rarely identical to assigned problems.

Exams are to be taken at the scheduled times:

Exam 1    Chapters 15-17 --   7- 9 PM  Tuesday 01 June, NPB 1001

Exam 2    Chapters 18-21 -- 7- 9 PM,   Tuesday 06 July, NPB 1001

Final Exam    Chapters 22-25 --  In Class [12:30 PM] Thursday 05 August

Exam Caveat!   Timely return of test scores to students in this high-enrollment class  necessitates multiple-choice, machine-graded exams.  Students sometimes lose points through unfortunate errors in marking exam answers on the SCANTRON® sheet.  This sheet is the only item that is graded so please be careful to mark it accurately.  Mistransfer of answers to the SCANTRON® sheet will not be grounds for the award of extra points, even in borderline grade situations.

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Exams are to be taken at the times and places listed above.  Make-ups are discouraged and are allowed ONLY under the following  rules:
1.  A written explanation for missing an exam must be presented to the instructor, preferably prior to the exam and in no case later than 2 days following your return to classes. Documentation such as infirmary record or physician's note must be included along with telephone numbers for verification.
2.   If the explanation is satisfactory you will be permitted to take the make-up exam.
3.  The make-up exam is a single 2-hour exam covering Chapters 15-21  [the material of the first two exams].
4.  This one [and only!] make-up will be given at a time scheduled between 28 July and 01 August.
 

Your Exam Score: Each exam is designed to yield a class average of approximately 60% and letter grades have approximately the following percentage ranges:

A,  85 and above;    B,  72-84 ;    C, 53-71;    D,  40-52;    E, below 40
 

Exam score distributions will be posted on these Web pages  so you can get a general idea of your standing in the class.
BUT  [Caution # 2]  note that the letter grade distribution for each test is approximate, as stated above.  Every class is different and final letter grades are determined by the distribution of scores after all data [the five components listed below under 'Grading'] are compiled.   Thus the above letter-grade  'curve' is not exact so if you try to 'average' your approximate letter grades, do so with caution, especially if you have borderline scores.  You cannot assume that (for example) two low 'C' grades on Tests 1 and 2 gives you good prospects for a C grade in the course.

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Grading

Your final score is composed of five components:

Letter grades in this course are assigned on a scale similar (but rarely identical!) to that given two paragraphs above.  However, note that last summer's  grades were within 3 percentage points of  these.
A and B grades imply superior or outstanding performance and are only awarded for same.
Caution # 3:   Grades are NOT negotiable....the 'playing field' in this course will be as 'level' as we can make it.  Examples of special arrangements that are clearly unfair to the rest of the class and will not be permitted:
«  An ‘I’ grade because you:  «  took too many courses; « fell behind; « "didn't realize that taking physics in the Summer would be this hard"; etc., etc.
«   Extra work to atone for:  « low test scores; « low recitation score;« missed classes; etc.
«  A  personal make-up exam.
 
 

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Here are some suggestions [many of them articulated by Professor Lennart Peterson---thanks, Len!!] for making progress in a physics course.  If you made a grade of B or higher in Physics 1 you may already be using some of these strategies.  Whatever works to help you learn the material  --- that's legal/honest! --- use it!!

General

1.  We said this earlier and we say it again:  Summer courses move faster than those of the regular terms and there are more interruptions.  This means that you need to be especially careful to stay on schedule with your homework.  This material is cumulative:  the behinder you get, the harder it is to catch up.

2.  Make yourself a realistic study schedule and work on the problems [homework] regularly.  A realistic schedule counts only the actual time spent with book open, paper or notebook ready,  and writing implement in hand---not the time taken for "getting ready to study";  for coffee/food breaks, etc.!  The assigned problems should be considered the minimum quantity you need to work in order to pass the course.  If you aspire to a higher grade you should do more.  Several students who made A's in this course last summer told me that they worked every problem in the assigned chapters!!!

3.  Physics does not lend itself to last-minute cramming.  Here's why:  a relatively few principles are applied to a wide variety of physical situations.   Thus if you memorize a particular problem solution [rather than working several different problems that give you practice using the basic concepts] you will probably have difficulty when you encounter a differently-worded exam problem even though the very same physical concepts are used.  Doing physics requires us to be able to analyze a physical situation (the data given) and then apply the principles to it.  Learning how to do this is not unlike developing a physical  [muscular] or artistic skill:   it requires drill/practice.

4.  You will get far more out of your recitation class [and do better on the quizzes!] if you work the problem assignment before going to class.  The ideas and techniques involved in solving a particular problem will  more likely 'register' with you if you have already tried the problem, even if you weren't able to finish it.

5.  Your  textbook authors/publishers supply several kinds of ancillary items to assist you with learning the course concepts and in solving problems.  Some students find these helpful while others don't [no single system for learning works for everybody!].   We suggest that you give these materials a try, especially if your class and test scores are borderline.

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Studying for Tests

6.  Make a list of the important concepts and be sure that you can work several problems to which these principles apply.  Prepare your exam note sheet carefully.

7.  If you use old exams for study purposes, employ them constructively:  Work these sample exam problems under the same conditions as the actual test:
(a) Use the note sheet you will bring to the exam and
(b) time yourself on each question.
(c) If there are questions you can't answer or that require too much time, you know that these are the areas that require more study.
(d) After you've worked through the test, set it aside for a day or two, work some more problems (concentrating on weak areas), and then try the test again under the same conditions.  You may need to add a few things to your note sheet but try to avoid taking space for anything specific to a particular problem.

8.  It's difficult to think a problem through when you are overtired so try to avoid an 'all-nighter' just before the test.  Fatigue also increases the probablity of errors such as coding the wrong answer onto the scan sheet.

Taking  Tests

9.  Read over the whole test [including the instructions that you may think you know already!] before you start working problems.  Code in all required information in the correct locations on the answer sheet, including your test serial number.

10.  Answer the easier questions first---this yields the greatest return on time invested and it builds confidence.

11.  Next, try the questions that you feel less confident about.  In working difficult problems, you'll probably score higher in the long run if you take a little more time to check that the answer you put down is the correct one---if in doubt, take a minute or two to plug the answer back into the formula to see if the original numbers are reproduced.  Ten minutes invested in checking anwers and correcting mistakes may be preferable to attempting one more problem and perhaps getting it wrong as well.  Guessing at answers is unlikely to result in a passing score.

12.  Save questions that you "haven't a clue on" for last.  These consume the most time and if you can't answer them correctly they contribute nothing to your score.  Don't spend lots of time (more than 8-10 minutes) trying formulas at random on a question---unless you are making progress toward a solution it is usually better to move on and attempt another question.
 

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Last Updated  12 May 2004