PHYS 102 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Course Description

College Physics: Electricity and Magnetism, and Modern Physics

Credit: Credit is not given for both PHYS 102 and either PHYS 212 or PHYS 214.

Prerequisite: PHYS 101.

Physics 102 is a non-calculus-based approach to electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. Topics covered include:

• electric forces and fields
• electric potential
• electric circuits
• magnetic forces and fields
• geometrical optics
• interference and diffraction
• quantum mechanics
• Einstein's theory of relativity

Course Goals

By the end of this course the student will be able to:

• describe the physics concepts in problems involving
  • electricity & magnetism
  • optics
  • modern physics.
• execute basic problem-solving strategy for problems in
  • electricity & magnetism
  • optics
  • modern physics.

Course Components

All students are required to participate in all course components. Credit is granted in each course component. All course components are subject to the Academic Integrity Policy.

Learning Strategy

To effectively learn new material, students need a wide array of experiences. Our learning philosophy is tailored to help students efficiently process problems in physics by providing the necessary experiences.

In introductory physics, the learning philosophy of the Department of Physics can be summarized as follows:

1. Think About It! (pre-lectures and checkpoints)
2. Untangle It! (lectures)
3. Challenge! (homework)
4. Apply and Explore It! (labs)
5. Close the Loop! (discussion)

This course covers a large amount of new material. Each concept builds on previous course concepts. Mastery of previous material is essential. This is the student's responsibility. In order to succeed the student must not fall behind!

Component Description

For all components of this course, the Course Attendance Policy explains the consequences of tardiness and missing class.

Think About It: Pre-Lectures and Checkpoints

Due before each lecture, these web-based assessments are designed to introduce the key ideas/concepts of the lecture. 

Assignments are due as presented in the course schedule.

You must work the problems before the deadline in FlipitPhysics to receive full credit for the pre-lectures and bridge sets.

Pre-lecture

• Each question may be attempted several times.
• Each question must be answered correctly complete the activity.
• No late credit.

Checkpoints

• Available after prelecture is complete.
• Answer all questions for full credit.
• No late credit.

Untangle It: Lecture

Participation is required.

Participation will occur as follows:

• Attending the lecture as scheduled via Zoom.
• Answering the one-minute papers (two per lecture) on lecture day.  
  • Answers are to be submitted to GradeScope.
  • May be submitted at any time during the lecture day after the first lecture is given.
  • The prompts will only be available via the Zoom lecture and the recorded lecture.
• The play list is available through the Recorded Lectures page.

Each lecture will focus on a topic of the day as described in the course schedule. 

Lectures will be posted to the Media Space channel after the lectures for the day have been completed.

Challenge: Homework

Homework is assigned and distributed within the homework system, FlipIt Physics and is due according to the course schedule.

You must work the problems before the deadline in FlipitPhysics to receive full credit for the homework.

Homework problems are designed to:

• Evaluate conceptual understanding.
• Develop problem-solving skills.

The web-based homework covering each week's material is due the following week.

To start work on a homework assignment:

• Go to FlipItPhysics.
• Select the assignment for the week.
• Each problem, or part thereof, may be worked an unlimited number of times.

• Full credit for each correct problem will be awarded when an assignment is completed before the deadline.
• Up to 80% credit will be awarded for finishing a problem up to one week after the deadline.

Apply and Explore It: Laboratory

The lab cycle (see course schedule) is designed to provide the opportunity to explore the applications and implications of the concepts developed in lecture.

The laboratory portion of this course will consist of four (4) 3-hour laboratories.

1. A prelab exercise due the morning of each laboratory period.
2. The laboratory exercise in which students will:
   1. plan and set up simple experiments to investigate topics studied in class
   2. perform measurements of different phenomena studied in lecture
   3. analyze experimental results
   4. make conclusions based on their results and their understanding of the experimental system.
3. A laboratory write-up which will be completed during the session and turned in at the end of the lab session.

Close the Loop: Discussion

Weekly two (2) hour discussion sections are required. Students select a discussion section during registration.

Each discussion session will consist of the following:

• Pre-discussion work:
  • Students will be organized into groups of four (4) within their discussion section.
  • Each student will select one of the four (4) discussion questions for the week to work in advance of attending the discussion section.
    • Each problem in the weekly set must be worked by a student in the small group.
    • Students may use our Teams course to discuss their solutions within their group small group.
    • When your small group convenes for the weekly discussion, each student should bring their discussion problem with them to discuss in the small group.
• In-discussion work:
  • Each student within their small group will work together, using their pre-discussion work to complete a single problem set solution.
  • Each group should work together to resolve differences.
  • Each group will submit one document with their team solution set to GradeScope for the TA to evaluate.  This document should include:
    • The final solution set for all four problems.
    • Each student's pre-discussion solution.
    • This solution set, with pre-discussion material attached, will count as your discussion participation grade.
    • Students will take turns submitting the problem set for each week.
• The individual skills quiz:
  • Each student should work on their own quiz.
  • The quiz will be given in the last 40 minutes of the discussion session.
  • The quiz will be taken in PrairieLearn.
  • This quiz will be recorded as your quiz grade.

 

Supplemental

Also there will be open office hours every week to give students one-on-one assistance if they need more help. Do not be bashful about taking advantage of these!

Academic Integrity

All activities in this course are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.

Infractions include, but are not limited to:

• cheating
• plagiarism
• fabrication
• academic interference
• computer-related infractions
• unauthorized use of university resources
• sale of class materials or notes
• facilitating infractions of academic integrity.

Violations of any of these rules will be sanctioned and reported to the student's home college.

All aspects of the course are covered by these rules, including:

• quizzes
• homework
• discussion 
• exams
• labs
• documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence

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If you have questions about this page, please e-mail the Undergraduate Office (undergrad@physics.illinois.edu).