PHYS&222: Engineering Physics II
Spring 2020Course description
The second quarter of a three-quarter sequence in calculus-based physics for science and engineering students dealing with the topics of properties of solids, fluid mechanics, heat, thermodynamics, waves, sound and light. Lab included.
Pre-requisites
PHYS&221 and MATH&152 with a grade of at least 2.0 in each, or instructor permission.
Instructor details
Instructor: Jenna Smith
Preferred names: Jenna, Professor Smith, Dr. Smith Phone number: (253) 864-3161
Email address: through Canvas or email me at [email protected] (allow 24 hours for a response during the week, 72 hours over the weekend) Drop-in office hours: MW, 8:30-10:00 am and 4:00-5:00 pm
Drop-in office location: Jenna’s Zoom Office
If you'd like to meet outside of these hours, please make an appointment with me through Starfish or email me – I welcome appointments!
Required materials
• Regular access to the Canvas course.
• WebAssign access. If you've previously used WebAssign in another Engineering Physics class and purchased the multi-term access, you're good. Regardless, Cengage (WebAssign's parent company) is providing all affected students (that's you!) with free access to Cengage Unlimited, so you won't have to pay anything, just keep starting free trials every two weeks throughout the quarter.
• University Physics: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 from OpenStax. This is the textbook that I will follow and provide you with associated reading sections. Available as a PDF (free), a Kindle textbook (free), a webpage (free), an iBook ($6.99), or as a physical book ($25.15-$48.50 each through the bookstore).
Recommended materials
• A way to scan/photograph work and upload to Canvas.
• If the OpenStax book doesn't work well for you, find another introductory textbook that does work. We have a supply in the classroom bookshelf that you're welcome to check out and you can get perfectly good older editions for pretty cheap on Amazon. I recommend checking out:
o Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach by Randall Knight o Conceptual Physics by Paul G. Hewitt
Hardware and software for this course
The standards below are a recommended baseline for what you need as far as your computer and internet performance: you'll avoid many complications by making sure to meet the minimum hardware and software standards! Please contact me as soon as possible if you anticipate difficulties with these so we can discuss work arounds.
Hardware
1. Hardware: Verify that your computer is up-to-date with applications and the most recent version of the operating system. If you plan to use video or audio, make sure that you have a webcam, microphone, and/or speakers and they are properly installed on your computer. We also recommend having a virus protection program on your computer or laptop.
2. Internet connection: It's recommended that your connection speed is at least 3 MB/sec - but the faster the better, especially for videos or real-time interactions. Dial-up or public WiFi is sometimes insufficient bandwidth for using some of the tools in Canvas. Follow this link to check your connection speed.
3. Browser: Verify that you're using the most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Older browser versions can't guarantee full functionality, and Internet Explorer is not recommended. Follow this link to check your browser versions!
Recommended software applications
I prefer you to submit most of your work in a .pdf, .docx, or .xlsx file format unless otherwise requested. The following applications can save documents in appropriate formats:
• PC Users: Microsoft Word 2013 or 2016 will save documents in .docx or .pdf format. Microsoft Excel 2013 or 2016 will save spreadsheets in .xlsx format. Both are part of the Microsoft Office suite.
• Mac Users: Microsoft Office for Mac is available - it contains Word and Excel. The Pages application will save to .docx, or .pdf format. The Numbers application will save to .xlsx format.
• Open Source: works with Mac or PC: Google Docs – free with a Google account (you have a Google account if you have a student email with Pierce). You can save Google Docs in .docx or .pdf file format. For spreadsheets, you can use Google Sheets and save files in .xlsx format.
• Office 365: Office 365 can be accessed using your Pierce College email login information using the link on the Navigation bar to the left. Unfortunately, Office 365 does not have the full capabilities of the desktop applications, but it does have most of them.
Pierce College provides you with free access and licenses for Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. You can find instructions for installation here.
During the course, you will also need to photograph/scan and upload your written work. I prefer that you submit that work as a single .pdf file. There are several apps that will scan your papers and turn them into a .pdf:
• CamScanner is offering free Premium for all students during this health crisis (details here). It works on Android and iOS.
• AdobeScan works on Android and iOS.
You can also take photos of your work and include them all in a single word processing document (like Word) that you then save as a .pdf file.
Course Policies
Communication
Outside of class, I will communicate with you primarily through Canvas via course announcements and Canvas communications (direct messaging). Please monitor those channels and set up your Canvas notifications appropriately. Specifically, I recommend adding an email address or phone number that you regularly check and selecting "Notify me right away" for Announcement and Conversation Message.
Academic honesty
In this course, I expect you to work with your classmates to improve your own understanding and theirs. Your own
understanding of physics will improve when you help others understand it. To this end, I encourage you to collaborate during practice sessions, labs, homework, and general studying. Any homework you turn in though, should reflect your own
understanding of those particular problems. If you find it difficult to separate your understanding from another classmates, I suggest writing your homework up independently, with limited reference to your notes from a study session. If you work with other students or receive aid from anyone who is not me, please indicate so on your homework. In-class quizzes and the final exam will be entirely individual work. The first time you misrepresent someone else's work as your own, you will meet with me to discuss the assignment and receive a zero for that assignment or quiz. Future instances of academic dishonesty will have academic consequences up to and including receiving a zero for the course. These situations will also be referred to the District Conduct Officer. If you have any questions about this, please ask!
Late work policy
Late work will be accepted up to 24 hours after the due time, but 2% of the total score will be deducted each hour that it is late. Canvas rounds up to the nearest hour, so this table may be helpful:
If the assignment was submitted t hours late… …then this percentage of the total points are deducted.
0 < t < 1 2%
1 £ t < 2 4%
2 £ t < 3 6%
… …
If something comes up at the last minute that impedes you from completing the assignment on time and you need more time, please contact me as soon as possible and explain your situation. I expect that all our lives will be in flux this quarter and increased flexibility will be part of my response to that. That being said, poor time management is not a reason for more time - please begin your work in advance so that if something does come up, it doesn't delay you too much.
Basic need security
Any student who has difficulty according or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact Jennifer Wright in Student Success ([email protected]) for support. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable in doing so. This will help me support your learning appropriately.
Student accommodations
Pierce College values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to fostering mutual respect and full participation for all students. My goal is to create a learning environment that is equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. If you have or think you may have a disability that may affect your work in this class and feel you need accommodations, contact Access and Disability Services at [email protected] or (253) 964-6468 to see if you are eligible to receive services.
If you are already approved for accommodations through the ADS, have requested your accommodations for this quarter and would like to use your accommodations in my class please connect with me outside of class time to discuss your needs. If there are temporary circumstances that require an accommodation, please discuss these with me as soon as possible, and certainly in advance of the due dates.
Reasonable Accommodations for Faith/Conscience
weeks of the beginning of the course. Students should review the Accommodations for Faith/Conscience Policy and follow the procedures: https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/policy-faith-conscience.
Class cancellation
In the case of class cancellation (due to a general college closure or faculty absence), I will communicate with you about assignments and material through Canvas.
Emergency procedures
An intermittent alarm indicates an emergency such as fire or bomb threat. Evacuate the building, taking all personal belongings with you. Stay at least 200 feet from the building and expect to wait at least an hour before being allowed to return. You are advised not to rush to your car and leave the campus to avoid congestion preventing emergency vehicles to enter the campus. When there is an earthquake, go under a table and remain there until it is safe to evacuate the building.
Coursework and Evaluation
Online homework - 20%
Weekly homework will be assigned via WebAssign. WebAssign will give you immediate feedback on your answer, but not on the full solutions process. I encourage you to keep organized and well-written solutions for all of these problems. Writing solutions out will help you remember and process more, identify the most commonly used (and thus important) physics concepts and equations, and be a good study resource. Weekly homework is due at 11:59 pm on Sunday. If you need to turn work in late, you’ll need to request an automatic extension through WebAssign. The class late work policy will apply to the full assignment, not just to answers submitted after the deadline.
Related materials (available online): Help: Homework, A Short Guide to Algebraic Solutions, Problem-Solving Template
Challenge problems - 25%
Challenge problems will be assigned through Canvas. As their name implies, these will be a few challenging problems that will push you to apply your new understanding. They will be assigned through Canvas, not through WebAssign. You should ponder these individually, discuss them with classmates, look up other resources to help you, and ask me
questions. You'll write up a complete, neat, and descriptive solution to these problems and submit that to Canvas. These will be due on Sundays at 11:59 pm. The work you submit should be your own understanding. If I have questions about your solution, I will follow-up with you about that.
Review assignments - 10%
To encourage you to synthesize the content and skills you've learned at regular intervals, I will give two review
assignments, containing both conceptual and problem-solving questions. You should treat these as challenge problems, but I expect that they will take you a little more time than the challenge problems. These will be due on Sundays at 11:59 pm.
Labs - 30%
The purpose of the lab component is to introduce you to experimental skills and practices used by physicists (and scientists more generally). This quarter, we will focus on data collection and analysis. Data will be collected from online simulations and from lab videos. The work you turn in will vary from a filled-out worksheet to a full lab report. This quarter you will write two lab reports and engage in peer review for both of those reports. Most lab work is due on Friday at 11:59 pm. Lab reports (drafts and final documents) will be due on Sunday at 11:59 pm.
Related materials (available online): Effective Group Work, Lab Report Instructions, Lab Report Rubric, Lab Report Examples, Lab Report Template, Guide to Error Analysis, Help: Lab work
Engagement and participation - 5%
Regular engagement and participation in class is important to learning the material. This quarter, you'll complete weekly check-in surveys, that will be due Wednesdays at 11:59 pm. In general, I expect you to have done some work for the week by that time. If life has made that not possible, just let me know and be honest - there won't be a penalty unless I see a pattern developing and then, I'll touch base with you first.
You'll also wrestle with conceptual questions through group work. Each week, I'll post a series of conceptual questions related to the material. You and your group should ponder these questions, come to a consensus, and write up that answer (with supporting arguments!) to submit to Canvas. My first choice is that your group meet online in one of our Zoom meetings, but if that's not possible, you can also work together through discussion boards. Group work is due Fridays at 11:59 pm.
Related materials (available online): Effective Group Work
Percentage to grade point conversion
where P is your evaluation percentage (possible values from 0 to 100) and G is the grade point value I will enter. The grade point value will be rounded to the nearest tenth of a point
Spring 2020 course specifics
This quarter is not going to be the same experience you or I thought we'd have when we signed up for the course! Here's some additional information about how this course will play out.
Real, live, video study sessions with Jenna!
Online courses can get lonely, so I will be hosting both study sessions and office hours through Zoom this quarter. The schedule is subject to change, depending mostly on how it works for members of our class.
• Study sessions: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
• Drop-in office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 am to 10:00 am and 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. If you log on to a Zoom session, you'll be able to see and hear what's going on in the "Zoom Room". If you have a webcam and microphone, you can have a video conversation with others in the room. If you prefer, you can access the audio through a phone, rather than your computer. If you don't have a webcam or microphone, you can always interact through the room's chat feature.
Illness or other rapidly changing circumstances
If you:
• become ill
• suddenly need to care for family members • or have other urgent life changes
that will keep you from completing coursework in a timely manner, contact me as soon as possible. We will look at possibilities for adjusting your timeline so that you can prioritize your and your family's well-being and still complete the coursework by the end of the quarter.
Online tutoring through the P.A.S.S. Centers
The P.A.S.S. Centers will continue to provide students with quality tutoring and mentoring support in an online
environment. Our offices will remain accessible by phone, email, and through our P.A.S.S. Canvas course. Students will be able to meet with tutors and mentors, schedule appointments, and explore resources through this Canvas space. Tutoring and mentoring sessions will be conducted in Cranium Café using webcams and microphones to make the experience as seamless as possible. You will have an opportunity to interact with the tutor or mentor via video, audio, or chat while uploading and sharing documents. We are working to offer expanded hours and resources: More details to come as the quarter gets closer. Should you have questions, feel free to call or email our offices. We are here to help you through this unique quarter, just let us know how we may be of service.
Contact Information:
Phone: 253-964-6737 (FS) or 253-864-3258 (PY) Email: [email protected]
Tentative schedule
Here's a tentative schedule of topics for the quarter. For your own planning, I've highlighted the weeks where I expect assignments will take more of your time. Those modules in particular I will make extra effort to publish earlier so that you can start work on them.
Week Dates Topic
Larger assignments (due Sunday, 11:59 pm) 1 6 April – 12 April Orientation / material properties
2 13 April – 19 April Fluid mechanics 3 20 April – 26 April Temperature and heat
4 27 April – 3 May Kinetic theory of gases Lab report draft due
5 4 May – 10 May Laws of thermodynamics Lab report due; review assignment due 6 11 May – 17 May Oscillations
7 18 May – 24 May Waves 8 25 May – 31 May Sound
9 1 June – 7 June Light phenomena Lab report draft due
10 8 June – 14 June Lenses and mirrors Lab report due; review assignment due 11 15 June – 21 June Special relativity
You can see that the final drafts of your lab reports and summary assignments are due on the same day. I advise putting a lot of effort into the lab report draft (due the week before) so that you have less changes to make before turning in the final draft and more time to do the summary assignment.