General Information

The physics component of the Integrated Course Block (ICB) provides a thorough introduction to Electricity and Magnetism as well as establishes the basics of physical and geometrical optics. In addition to the basics, we will address the vast variety of interesting applications pertaining to the knowledge you gain this semester. For example, we may discuss electrophoresis, heart monitors, brain wave function, CT (computerized tomography) imaging, magnetostatic bacteria, microwave cooking, LCDs, lightning, corona discharge, St. Elmo's fire, pacemakers, electric shock treatment, electrocardiograms, metal detectors, musical instruments, magnetic levitation, electric motors, radios, TV, car coils, superconductivity, aurora borealis, rainbows, radio telescopes, interferometers, particle accelerators, mass spectrometers, red sunsets, blue skies, radar speed guns, and much much more... Our goal is to share with you the excitement of discovering the material universe at its most basic levels and to equip you with the basic knowledge and analytical skills necessary to become a scientist or an engineer.

General Course Objectives

• to provide an understanding of the fundamental physical principles as they pertain to the concepts of electricity and magnetism as well as basics of geometrical optics and waves;
  
  
• to provide an understanding of how physical principles as they pertain to electricity and magnetism are applied in every day life and engineering;
  
  
• to provide a basic understanding of when and where specific physical principles apply;
  
  
• to provide basic skills necessary for solving problems with practical applications by using physical principles;
  
  
• to provide basic data analysis skills;
  
  
• to provide appreciation for physics and how it relates to other disciplines.
  
  
• to provide basic skills on how to express understanding of physical principles in terms of multiple representations: graphs, diagrams, equations, words, etc.

Specific Course Objectives

• ELECTROSTATICS:
  
  
  • to describe electric charge, the vector nature of the electric field and its relation to a scalar potential;
    
    
  • be describe Coulomb's law and to be able to calculate the force on a stationary charge due to other charges at rest and be able to relate this to the electrostatic energy of the system;
    
    
  • to describe Gauss' law and understand its consistency with Coulomb's law;
    
    
  • to understand, on both an atomic and macroscopic level, the process of charging a dielectric capacitor; to calculate capacitance of a single capacitor and a system of capacitors; to determine the energy stored and the maximum potential which a dielectric capacitor can support without breakdown.



• ELECTRIC CURRENT AND CIRCUITS:
  
  
  • to understand the microscopic model of electric current and conduction mechanism;
    
    
  • to learn the microscopic model of resistance and determine the power dissipated in a resistor; to understand Ohm's Law; to calculate the effective resistance of a system of resistors;
    
    
  • to understand Kirchhoff's Laws and apply them for calculation of the current through, voltage across, and power dissipated in resistors;
    
    
  • to determine the current through, voltage across, and power dissipated in each capacitor of a system of capacitors.



• MAGNETOSTATICS:
  
  
  • to describe the vector nature of a static magnetic field; be able to calculate the magnetic field, using the Biot-Savart law or Ampère's law;
    
    
  • to be able to calculate the forces on such circuits and moving charges when situated in a steady magnetic field;
    
    
  • to calculate the magnetic dipole moment of a current loop; to calculate torque on a current loop and its motion in an external magnetic field.



• ELECTROMAGNETISM:
  
  
  • to understand the nature of induced currents;
    
    
  • to relate the electric and magnetic field vectors in circumstances where Faraday's (and Lenz's) law is valid;
    
    
  • to calculate the induced emf in a loop using Faraday's Law and the sense of the induced emf using Lenz' Law;
    
    
  • to calculate the self inductance and mutual inductance of current carrying elements and energy stored in a current carrying inductor;
    
    
  • to obtain Maxwell's equations in differential and integral forms using the divergence and Stokes' theorems; to learn boundary values for Maxwell's equations; to understand how Maxwell's equations predict light as an electromagnetic wave.



• WAVES:
  
  
  • to apply the concept of simple harmonic motion in characterization of SHO motion;
    
    
  • to analyze and solve problems pertaining to one-dimensional harmonic traveling wave, including understanding of direction of wave travel, wave frequency and amplitude;
    
    
  • to analyze and solve problems pertaining to one-dimensional harmonic standing wave, including understanding of wave frequency and amplitude;
    
    
  • to understand the nature of EM waves and their propoerties; to obtain an insight into the ways of producing EM waves, energy stored, momentum, and radiation pressure associated with EM waves; Poynting vector.



• GEOMETRIC OPTICS:
  
  
  • to establish fundamentals in geometric optics: reflection and refraction;
    
    
  • to understand the mechanism of image formation and the function of basic instruments: mirrors, lenses, human eye, telescope, etc.
    
    

Pertaining Competencies

• QUALITATIVE UNDERSTANDING:
  developing skills on how to understand and express physical principles in terms of words, i.e. qualitatively;



• QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS:
  developing problem solving skills by analyzing physical phenonmena quantitatively, i.e. solving problems both in the classroom and at home.



• SYNTHESIS/CREATIVITY/DESIGN:
  developing skills to use conceptual and physical models of physical phenomena to anaylyze and solve both closed- and open-ended problems.



• COMMUNICATION:
  developing writing skills through problem solving activities and oral skills through oral presentations of solutions to homework and exam problems in order to develop their presentation skills.