| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

FrontPage

This version was saved 14 years, 3 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Ayush Gupta
on December 11, 2009 at 9:47:43 pm
 

Welcome to Phys260 and Phys260H website for Fall 2009

 

**REMINDER: www.CourseEvalUM.umd.edu

 

Announcements

12/11/09

I have posted the chapter on Capacitance from Understanding Physics - under course documents in Blackboard. The idea of capacitance is spread out in Knight's book in various chapters. And I have tried to put more than usual notes on the lectures slides for capacitance. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

 

12/10/09

The lecture notes from today are now posted online: Documents for Phys260

 

The review sessions are Friday (12/11, tomorrow) 2:30-4:30 (room 1402 Chemistry Building) and on Saturday, (12/12) 5-7pm (Room 1201, Physics). The review would be most helpful to you if you come with questions and problems.

 

There was an error in the solution (for P2-a). It has now been corrected and the updated file has been posted. So, if you downloaded the HW10_solutions before 11:40 am on 12/10, please re-download the new file. Documents for Phys260 HW10_Solutions.pdf

 

12/09/09

The solutions to HW10 are now posted Documents for Phys260

 

12/07/09

Solutions to Practice exams from other professors are posted. I strongly encourage you to try the problems on your own. Also, the solutions are written in tutorial-style, explaining what we are doing (Hopefully, that will help.) Solutions are posted at Documents for Phys260 and at Final Exam.

 

12/04/09

Review Session

  The survey results are very split: a lot of you want to have a session on Friday, and roughly the same number want the session on Saturday. So I have decided to have two review sessions - one on 12/11 and one on 12/12. Please check the details carefully:

Review Session#1: Friday, 12/11, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room CHM 1402 (1402 in the CHEMISTRY building)

Review Session#2: Saturday, 12/12, 5 pm to 7 pm in Room 1201 Physics Building.

The sessions are most productive if you come with prepared with questions/problems/clarifications.

 

12/03/09

Lecture slides from this week's lectures are uploaded.Documents for Phys260

And here is some information about the grades and grade cuts for the exam3Exam3 Grades (Once again, congratulations on the nice bump in performance.)

 

Finally: 

Course Evaluations are now open (Tuesday, December 1st, through Sunday, December 13th):  www.CourseEvalUM.umd.edu

I strongly urge you to go and fill out the evaluations. Your personal feedback helps us, instructors, a lot in revising and reforming our teaching. The best feedbacks are specific about what you liked and what you did not like. We need to hear all sides - that helps us get a balanced perspective and take informed decisions. So, please, do take a few minutes and fill out the Course Evaluations.

 

12/02/09

HW 10 is posted

 

12/01/09

Dear Students,

I am still trying to figure out the best times for the review session. Since there was a large fraction of you who voted for Friday and a large fraction voting for Saturday, there isn't a clear decision for me. So here is what I am doing: Fill this survey. It would take less than 30 seconds. Do it right now!

And based on the results I would decide on the best option(s).

 Click Here to take survey

-----

Course Evaluations are now open (Tuesday, December 1st, through Sunday, December 13th):  www.CourseEvalUM.umd.edu

I strongly urge you to go and fill out the evaluations. Your personal feedback helps us, instructors, a lot in revising and reforming our teaching. The best feedbacks are specific about what you liked and what you did not like. We need to hear all sides - that helps us get a balanced perspective.

 

11/28/09

 

I am putting together some information and material to help you prepare for the finals. Here is the link: Final Exam Please check regularly to see updates on that page.

 

Also, your exam regrades from Exam2 are now complete. You should be able to see updated grades on Blackboard.

 

Finally: it is confirmed: Andrew Elby would be teaching Phys270 in Spring 2010 on Tu-Th @2:00pm-3:15 pm (Sections 301-302-303-304-305). If you enjoy this kind of interactive instruction, I encourage you to register for Andy's sections.

 

11/24/09

 

Solutions to Exam 3 are now posted: Documents for Phys260

These are required reading.

 

11/21/09

 

There is a correction to the solutions to HW 9: problem 3b).  See here: Corrections to HW Solutions

 

11/20/09

 

I got a request for solutions to pratice problems. I have always wanted to post solutions to these. But mostly ran out of time, always. Well, 4-5 hours of work today translated into these solutions to the practice problems I posted from Understanding Physics. Make good use of the soltutions - by which I mean, look at the solutions only after you have actually tried your best at the problems on your own. Just reading up the solutions would do very little to help you develop your own understanding.

 

With that: here are the solutions:  Practice Problems Charges.pdf

 

11/19/09

The lecture notes from this week are posted online. Documents for Phys260

The HW9 solutions are also posted. Documents for Phys260

HW10 would be posted on Dec1st, and would be Due on Dec 8th.

Exam Notices:

1. If you haven't already noticed, practice problems are posted on the website. Additional Problems

2. You are allowed a single sheet of notes (ONE SIDE OF ONE 8.5"x11" sheet - The other side should be blank)

3. Office Hours: Mon 3:15-5 (I will be there for these 3 hours in Room 1304 in case  you have questions)

4. For this exam, concentrate on HW7,8,9 - Of course, you are expected to know all the basic ideas on forces, acceleration, kinematics etc.

FINAL  EXAM:  IMP. NOTE

Final Exam is on Dec 15th, Tuesday, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. I will let you know the room number soon. This would be a comprehensive exam on all the material from the course. And all instructors would be involved in creating questions for the exam.

 

If there are schedule conflicts with the final exam time, you need to let me know about that ASAP!

 

11/16/09

There is a small typo in the HW9; In Problem#2, the question should consistently read 5 cm. (It reads 10 cm in one place and 5cm in the other)

 

11/15/09

 

Practice problems are posted: Additional Problems

 

Knight Chapter numbers:  I think I made a error in posting the corresponding chapters from Knight. Here is the correct list:

Ch 26: Charges

Ch 27: Field

Ch 28: Gauss's Law

 

11/13/09

 

HW9 is now posted Documents for Phys260. Along with a hint: HW9 Hints

11/12/09

 

Dear Students, As we continue to talk about flux, fields, and Gauss's Law is is really important that you supplement the lecture with your own reading from at least one text - read more if you feel so inclined. Chapters from Understanding Physics are posted on blackboard. On Knight, you should be looking at Chap 24; and if you are following Tipler it is Ch-22.

 

As usual, the lecture notes from today are posted. And also the solutions to HW8 - the solutions are required reading. Documents for Phys260

 

I will post practice problems over the weekend or early next week.

 

11/10/09

Lecture notes from today are uploaded. Documents for Phys260

 

OFFICE HOURS: Please note that on Wednesday, office hours are restored from 1-3 pm. These are in addition to the office hours on Tuesday and Monday. So the current schedule is:

Mon: 3:15-4:50 Room 1304

Tue: 3:30-5:00 Room 1304

Wed: 1-3pm room 1208A

 

1109/09

Registering for Physics-3 (Phys270): If you like the experience this semester, then I would strongly recommend that you register for Andrew Elby. He is a fantastic teacher, and I have learnt much from him. He is one of the authors of the textbook (unpublished) that I often refer to ("Birkett and Elby").  Currently, on Testudo he is listed on Tu-Th @2:00pm-3:15 pm (Sections 301-302-303-304-405). Note: Sections might change; if you definitely want to go for A. Elby, make sure to check back on Testudo in a few days.

 

New chapters from Understanding Physics (Fields, Gauss'a Law, Potential, Current) are now posted on BlackBoard under "Course Documents"

 

11/06/09

 

HW8 and solutions to HW7 are now posted. Read the solutions!Documents for Phys260

This week, Colleen and Eric wrote up the entire solutions.

 

11/05/09

Lecture notes from today are posted: Documents for Phys260 

And two links to fantastic, interactive simulations that would help you visualize fields: Cool Links

 

I am working towards a important deadline tomorrow: So solutions to the HW7 and HW8 would be posted tomorrow.

 

11/03/09

Exam2 Grades

 

10/29/09

 

Solutions to the second midterm are now posted. These are required reading.

HW7 is now posted under Documents for Phys260

 

Have a great weekend!

 

10/27/09

Corrections to HW4Solutions posted: Corrections to HW Solutions

 

10/23/09

I have posted Additional Problems for Fluids, Gases and Thermodynamics.

 

10/22/09

HW solutions are now posted

Lecture notes from today are posted online, along with the information on the upcoming exam and changed office hour times and locations.

 

The exam, on 10/29/09 will cover Ideal Fluids; Ideal Gases (including Kinetic Theory of Gases); First Law of Thermodynamics, and the stuff we did today on specific heats and conductivity. Make sure you can work with the basic ideas on your own (Think about the P6 on last exam! Very basic, but if you hunt for equations, you will be lost)

 

Note-Sheet: I am allowing one page (one side of one 8.5"x11" sheet) that you can use for notes/equations to use during the exam. Anything else would be considered a violation of the Honor Code. MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SHEET IS COMPLETELY BLANK

 

 

10/20/09

Lecture notes are now posted online. Also chapters from "Understanding Physics" on Thermodynamics are posted on Blackboard under course documents

 

As for Office Hours. For this week, our office hours are as usual. i,e.e Eric and I would be available in Room 0220 from 1-4 pm tomorrow.

All changes are for next week.

 

See you all on Thursday

10/16/09

Now posted: Lecture notes from Thursday, Clicker points, and Quiz points.

Also posted: HW6, and HW5 solutions. The solutions are required reading! There are a few broad hints for HW6 - link on the documents page. Quite a bit of HW6 is do-able based on what we have done in lecture so far. There might be a calculation here of there, that we need to cover in lecture on Tuesday.

For all files: as usual, check the Documents page.

 

10/13/09

Okay, today we went through a lot; and it might seem confusing. Please do follow through the ideas using your favorite text and the lecture slides. As usual, I have added some notes on the lecture slides - these, I am hoping, would help you through the HW due on Thursday.

 

I could not get to the quiz today; but we can have the quiz on Thursday - as usual, the quiz is based on HW solutions - this time it would be on HW4 solutions.

 

Take care; and I will see you all on Thursday.

 

10/09/08

@12:18 pm: There were a couple of minor edits to the HW4 solutions - thanks to Eric Kuo. The updated file is now uploaded.

 

10/08/09

 

Lecture notes from today are posted: Make sure you can articulate the arguments and respond to some of the arguments that you heard today.

 

HW5 is posted: Due next Thursday, 10/15.  Also, There are hints for P2 and P5 on the HW here.  For P2 at least, give it a try without reading the hints first. If you get stuck, see the hints.

 

HW4 solutions:Posted

 

So, Cool Links now has more links to simulations for Ideal Gases. Try those out. And I have started adding fascinating news items showcasing the frontiers of engineering. This week: Flying Robotic Bees being designed by Harvard engineers.

 

10/06/09

The lecture notes from today are posted under Documents. The ideas of fluid flow are tricky: make sure you can reason them out on your own and articulate the reasoning.  I have put in pointers in the notes to remind you about this: but finally it is you who would have to do that work!

 

We will continue to talk about Bernoulli's equation on Thursday and start on Thermodynamics on Thursday.  There would also be a quiz on Thursday - based on the Exam Solutions!

 

10/05/06

Exam grades are now posted on Blackboard. And here is some information about the grade cuts and grade distribution.

Please Note:

Exam solutions are posted - these are required reading.

Look through your graded exam carefully - regrade policy is discussed on the information page linked above.

 

HW4: there were a couple of typographical errors (i. writing "thermometer" instead of "barometer" in the last part of P1 and (ii). "in the first sentence of P6 description, it should read "thinner to thicker", not the other way around.

 

I want to talk a bit about the exam, and finish talking about Fluids on Tuesday; and so, the Quiz for this week is postponed to Thursday. Enjoy!

 

10/02/09

HW4 is posted. Due next thursday.

 

 

10/01/09

 

Dear Students: Solutions to the midterm are posted under Documents. This is required reading.

We will try and grade it over the weekend - so we can start handing it out on Monday (hopefully).

 

The HW4 would be posted by tomorrow morning. It is due coming Thursday, 10/08.

 

09/29/09

Lecture notes from today are posted. 

 

Exam next thursday: No calculators/electronics please.  Most of the exam is in symbols. Calculations, if any, are going to be really simple sort of like being able to multiply/divide by 2 or 5, etc. If you need help with a calculation, you can always ask me.

Please make sure you reach the class on time or a couple of minutes early.

 

09/26/09

There were one missing picture in HW3, and a couple of errors in HW2. Now fixed and new files are uploaded. Please check those. Also, I made a new page called: Corrections to HW Solutions for keeping tab of such stuff. And yes, you do get extra credit for pointing out errors in the solution - so that could be another incentive for working through them carefully.

 

I am posting some practice problems on waves and oscillations here. I am not sure if I would have the time to write out the solutions to all of these problems -- but if you have a solution and would like to contribute that, I would be more than happy to post those here! Office hours are also a good time to discuss these if you are trying them out.

 

09/24/09

I will be holding an additional hour of office hours on Monday@3:00-4:00 pm in Room 0220.

 

Solutions to HW 3 are now posted on the Documents page. THIS IS REQUIRED READING! 

NO HW to be submitted next Thursday - just prepare for the exam!

 

The lecture slides from today are posted in the Documents. 

 

To get an idea of what the exam would look like, here is an exam from last semester and the solution to that exam

And here is a 75 minute exam-format

 

And YAY! I got the clicker problem fixed -- so you should be seeing the correct score for today (1 point for each clicker question you click!) ... I can go back and fix the clicker points from other days, but that would take me a while to get to.

 

09/22/09

Dear Students,

Tomorrow - when you come to class - please bring in your feedback about the course - what is going good for you, helping you learn; what aspects are not so good. Other thoughts on the course so far....

It need not be long - just a few sentences.

There would be a table near the HW cart. Just drop your feedback on the table

Please do not attach your HW to the feedback; and do not write your name on it -- I would like it to be anonymous.

Thanks!

I will see you all tomorrow.

 

The ideas that we are covering from waves can seem simple, but they can be very tricky. So you really need to spend time here re-following the ideas that we discussed in the lecture, at times suplementing from a textbook.  Here are some resources for you:

1. I have posted the lecture slides from today -- but indicating the correct answers and adding some thoughts and notes in addition.  Follow up on these ideas. The slides have space for you to write your own questions and thoughts.

2.  The chapter on waves from Understanding Physics is posted on Blackboard. This is quite good actually and you would find that there is quite a bit of intersection between this and the way I have covered the material in class.

3. The HW walks you through some of the central ideas.  Give it your best! And when we post the solution, read the solution with the goal of understanding deeply, not just getting to know the right answer.

 

And finally, some hints for HW 3

 

09/17/09

Colleen's office hours have moved to Monday 10:30-11:30.  They are still in room 0220.

 

09/15/09

1. Lecture Slides are posted. This time I have tried to enhance the slides to include a few reminders - about writing explanations - and highlighting the correct answers to the clicker questions.  Check it out - and I would love to get feedback on how this all might help you better (without significantly increasing the production time)!

2. There might be a time lag in uploading Quiz points, or corrections to HW grades, or clicker points.  But if you have sent me a note about it, it is in my records and would definitely be taken into consideration for the final tally - so don't worry about it.

See you all on Thursday! (or in Office Hours)

 

09/12/09

1. The chapter on Waves from Understanding Physics is now posted on Blackboard - under Course Documents.

2. I uploaded Thursday's clicker stuff on blackboard (you have to check in Gradebook).  I like the ability of the software to directly upload these as a column and really dislike that it is scaling every question to 100 points! - which is why the max score on Thursday is 400 (we had 4 clicker questions).  Don't worry about that for now.

3. What I need you to do is check up your Clicker score on Blackboard. If you were in class, and clicking, but your score is zero - then I need to know.  A couple of you just got into the class and so that could have been an issue; And a couple of you came and talked to me - from which I think that (1) For some the channel might not be set properly; or (2) the clicker might be damaged/non-working.

4. HW#1 Solutions: Eric Kuo (Thanks, Eric!) just spotted a numerical error in P#1 (e).  The maximum speed of the cart should be 0.42 m/s not 0.18 m/s. The file has been updated.

 

09/10/09

1. The lecture notes from today are available on the Documents page.

2. The solutions to HW#1 are also posted. These are required reading and the quiz next week would be based on this. The solutions contain lots of thoughts and discussions from us, not just answers!

3. HW 2 is posted - due next Thursday, start of class.

 

 

09/08/09

1. Lecture: As you might notice from today, there is quite a bit of math in this course that you would need to sit down and sort for yourself, try a couple of problems, and ask us questions in discussions or office hours.  Lectures just would not have the time to sort the algebra out for every one of you.

 

2. Lecture Slides:  I am posting today's lecture slides on the website (documents page), as usual. I have added a couple of summaries for general ways to think of these oscillations (for the restoring force and the restoring torque ideas).

There is also a practice problem on finding the right solution for x(t) on the last slide. Try that out.

For the question about two springs put together, the topics in the discussion sessions this week are actually related to that.

There are couple of more "think yourself" questions on these slides.  It would be good to get the reasoning for these resolved.

3. HW:  For HW, you might need ideas about work and energy - that is actually entirely from last semester -- so look at the review sheet #3 - also posted on the website (on the Documents page).

And finally, the last HW problem talks about damping - the problem would walk you through the idea of damping to some extent - try your hand at that. Remember, most of the HW is graded for effort, not correctness - so give it your best shot and best effort!

 

4. Guidelines: Finally, by the end of the day I will have posted a few comments on taking notes after lecture! on the website: http://ayush.pbworks.com/Some-Guidelines

 

5. Clicker points: On Blackboard you should be able to see a column called "090809 clicker".  Somehow the software is scaling the total points miserably, but you should see your score listed there if you used your clicker today. In any case if you see a non-zero number there, then your clicker is working. If you were in class and used your clicker but you have a zero score, then please come and see me.

 

 

09/01/09

  1. Lecture Slides from today are posted on Documents page. Please revise; go over the reasoning, and if you have questions, bring them to class on Tuesday.
  2. The chapter on Oscillations from Understanding Physics is posted on Blackboard.  That has a decent description of the ideas of phase (where it got rushed and confusing in class) and connecting oscillations and circular motion. You would have to login to access that.
  3. HW1 is posted on Documents page. This is due nect Thursday, 09/10/09 at the beginning of lecture. You will need to know your discussion section in order to place your HW in the correct bin.  (hints for two subparts of P2 are posted under Supporting Documents, but please, use these only if after you have tried the problem on your own)
  4. How to think about HW in the course: look here: http://ayush.pbworks.com/Some-Guidelines
  5. Please write the HW legibly. If you cannot, then type and print it out (you could leave spaces for figures, and draw those by hand on the printed HW)
  6. I am going to post the practice problems from last semester the moment I get a chance.  You can access them also from Documents page, under "Supporting Documents"

 

09/01/09

  1. Review sheets covering the basic Phys161 ideas are posted. (See Documents page - access link on sidebar)
  2. Lecture slides from today are posted on the Documents page.  NOTE: Use these wisely. These are not a subsitute for attending lecture or for taking notes in class.  Use these to enhance your notes, not to replace them.  Make sure that you are confident on all the reasoning discussed in class, reasoning that someone else could argue, and how to respond to those.

 

08/31/2009

Dear Phys260/Phys260H students,

 

If you are registered for my class in Fall 2009, please bookmark this page - course information and assignments would be posted here.

 

Here is the Syllabus.    This is required reading.

 

The first lecture is on 09/01/2009 -- Please bring your clickers to class.

 

And here is some specific information about the Textbook and Clickers that you urgently need to know:

 

Textbook: The official textbook for Phys260 is 'Physics for Scientists and Engineers' by R. Knight. If you have already purchased the relevant volumes of Knight, that is fine; You do not need to buy additional texts.  However, I don't plan on strictly following a particular textbook. So do not feel obligated to buy that text.

     

     There are a number of good textbooks out there ... Feel free to buy one that you like and that is cheap. But note: It is important to have at least one textbook to read from to accompany the lectures, to use as a reference, and for some extra problems. Couple of recommendations from me are: 

  1.      Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Tipler and Mosca and
  2.      Understanding Physics by Cummings, Laws, Redish, and Cooney.

 

     The order of topics in the lecture could be slightly different from that in the textbooks. I will try and indicate the relevant section numbers from Knight's book and Tipler&Mosca regularly during lecture or in HW. (So it might help if you are using one of those books.)

     We would be covering Waves and Oscillations, Fluids, Thermodynamics, and Electrostatics & Circuits. In almost all books, the basic material is the same; there are some variations in the exact order of topics. For example, some book might deal with conductivity a couple of sections before another; some might go into more details with one topic than another.  Also, at times notations vary between textbooks. But then, dealing with that is something that we better get used to: All of this is part of getting a complete control of the material. 

     These two textbooks come as a large single book or as smaller volumes. Be careful -- the topics for the Fall semester span two volumes (Oscillations, Fluids, and Thermodynamcis is in the First volume and Electromagnetism in the Second; For Knight, the order of volumes is still different). You are welcome to buy a slightly older version. (Be careful, though; match with the latest edition to make sure that the difference is not huge. If in doubt go with a newer edition.)

(*For 260H, I have already requested that Tipler&Mosca be the recommended text on Testudo.)  In addition, I might be able to post electronic versions of the chapters from Understanding Physics, but I am not 100% sure for all the chapters -- so do not rely on it!

(*Sometimes it helps to read from two textbooks. Of course, that also imposes greater demand on your time. Use your judgement; and you are welcome to consult with me.)

 

Mastering Physcis: For now, do not buy a subscription to "Mastering Physics" -- I plan to assign my own homework problems.

 

Clickers: We will be using clickers in class throughout the semester. So make sure that you buy a RF/XF clicker and regster it. Unfortunately, you would not be able to use your laptop/Iphone as a clicker. For more information on how to buy or register clickers go to http://www.clickers.umd.edu and click on the Student tab.

 

Phys261:  You must enroll in Phys261 to pass Phys260. So please make sure that you are registerted for Phys261 as well.

 

Facebook: I have created a Facebok group for the course - for regular news/announcements and student-led conversations about the content, interesting questions etc.  This is first attempt - I want to see if it is helpful.  I encourage you to join it! [Click here]

 

Schedule: The rough schedule for the semester is posted. There might be changes as we go along.

 

Below the signoff you will find a list of course-related events as well as a calender that you can easily import to your google-calender or i-calender or to a RSS feed.

 

I hope to see you all in lecture tomorrow.

Ayush

PS: Who am I? - Well, you can find out here

And if you have questions, feel free to send me an email at ayush.courses+260@gmail.com

 

Click here to view your 30 Boxes calendar

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.