Week-by-week syllabus of Physics 201B, Physics: Concepts and Connections, Spring 1999
TEST 5 material (Tests 1, 2, 3, 4 were during 1st semester)
Weekly Schedule
January 12... The Atom and Electricity.. Chapter 8 & 9*
*Note that Chapter 8 and 9 treat electricity, magnetism, and light. I will greatly expand the treatments of these important topics and spread them out over the first two test periods.
Review of the model of the atom and the source of electricity
Electric Forces and Fields .. qE ....... Gravitational Forces and Fields .. mg ......
Two types of charge.... One type of mass
Units of charge.... size of forces between charges
Electrical Potential Energy... Gravitational Potential Energy
Electrical Potential... Gravitational potential
Freeing up electrons to flow... in beams... in metals... in semiconductors
Moving charges through electric fields
Concepts of Current...
Exploratories... to be started in class... may be continued outside class or continued next week.
Electrostatics (see Exploratories on Web)
Assignment.
Chapter 8... RQ 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21... HP 4.... E 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23... P 9
Chapter 9... RQ 3... E 2, 3, 4
January 19... Magnetism and its relation to Electricity... Chapter 8, 9
What do currents produce? ... the heart of magnetism ... but where are the poles?
Natural magnets... where are the currents
Electromagnets... using electricity to make magnetism
Making alternating current... Tesla's bright idea...
Motors... electrical to mechanical transfer
Generators... mechanical to electrical transfer
Transformers... Electrical power transfer...
Resistance and electrical to thermal transfer...
Magnetism of earth... when a North Pole is a South Pole.
Exploratories... continue electrostatics from previous week... or choose another exploratory.
Assignment.
Chapter 8... RQ 14, 16... E 20, 21...
Chapter 9... RQ 1, 2... E 1, 5
January 26... Circuits and Creating Electromagnetic Waves... Chapter 8, 9
Batteries and bulbs... where the energy comes from... where it goes...
Storing electricity... capacitors
Putting electricity and magnetic storage devices together... the electric oscillator vs the mechanical oscillator.
Making electromagnetic waves... and the electromagnetic spectrum
Thermal sources of electromagnetic spectrum... the suns spectrum... energy flows near earth...
Electricity in the home... fuses... circuit breakers... appliances... power usage...
Exploratories... Batteries and Bulbs... if equipment available.
Assignments... Chapter 9... RQ 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23... E 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 30... P 6, 9, 14
February 2... Test 5... Waves and Light... Chapter 8, 9
Pictures of Waves... what vibrates... how does it vibrate... terms associated with waves: crests and troughs, wavelength, frequency, period, velocity.... properties of medium which determine velocity...
Types of waves... longitudinal (sound), transverse (ropes and em), circular (water)
Light as a "typical" wave... the wave particle duality... waves vs photons... frequencies and wavelengths of visible light.
Wave interactions with matter... reflection, refraction, interference...
Reflection of waves (rays)... law of reflection...
The eye and its view of light... tracing rays back...
Mirrors.. Images of objects... following the rays... plane mirrors... how big is "full length" mirror... curved mirrors... drawing rays which obey the law of reflection... why "objects may be closer than they appear" in the rearview mirror.
Multiple mirrors... images become objects...become images.
Refraction of waves... law of refraction... the lifeguard test...
Understanding refraction... velocity and wavelength changes... separating colors... the prism.
Lenses... Images of objects...
Exploratories
Assignment... Chapter 8 .. RQ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11... E 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, 15... P 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...