Physics 321, Autumn Quarter 2015

Prof. Leslie J Rosenberg, Department of Physics, University of Washington

Course Instructor:
Prof. Leslie J Rosenberg
Email: ljrosenberg@phys.washington.edu
Office: Physics & Astronomy Building, room C503
Office Hours: Physics & Astronomy Building, C503, Tuesdays: 11:00am or by appointment; please email
Telephone: (206) 221-5856

Tutorial Instructor:
Bert Xue
Email: bertx@uw.edu
Office Hours: Physics & Astronomy Building, C221, Tuesdays 11:00am-1:00pm
Link to tutorial website

Class:
Physics 321, the first course in electrodynamics
Lectures are Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:50 in the Physics & Astronomy Building (A-wing), room A118
Textbook: Griffiths, "Introduction to Electrodynamics," fourth edition

Useful Information:

Recent course news:

Lecture Instructor's Comments

Welcome to Physics 321, the first of a three-quarter sequence of electrodynamics for advanced undergraduates. I hope you find this course challenging and stimulating. The topic of electrodynamics is crucial for understanding the underpinnings of the physical and biological sciences. It's also crucial for modern technology. I hope that you also find it to be interesting and enjoyable. Regarding the course: We'll use Griffiths' text "Introduction to Electrodynamics". You might want more details than found in Griffiths, or perhaps you'd like an alternative approach. In which case you might want to look at Lorrain and Corson "Electromagnetic Fields and Waves" or "Fundamentals of Electromagnetic Phenomena". My personal favorite texts at this level are Panofsky and Phillips "Classical Electricity and Magnetism" and Slater and Frank "Electromagnetism"; both are sadly out of print (and out of style). For a challenge, you might want to peek at the graduate-level text Jackson "Classical Electrodynamics". And the lovers of pain might want to try the problems in Smythe "Static and Dynamic Electricity." There's no perfect text, and every text has gems scattered throughout. That said, we will strive to follow the text by Griffiths closely.

Syllabus The syllabus for 321 is straightforward: we will cover the first 4 chapters in the text in more or less the text ordering. You should read the relevant text material before class; this will take time but there's a big payoff in your understanding. Approximately, Physics 321 covers electrostatics. Physics 322 covers magnetostatics. Physics 323 covers dynamics. The pace of 321 is not very fast. The pace picks up in 322. And Physics 323 is yet more challenging.

Grading 20% of your grade is assigned to each of homework **, exam 1, exam 2, final, tutorial ("quiz section")***.

Important dates
October 27 Exam 1.
November 19 Exam 2.
December 16 10:30am Final.

The course design is a cooperative effort of many faculty, each of whom is deeply concerned with providing the most effective learning experience for every student. Each element of the course (lecture [called "quiz section"] and tutorial) is useful to your mastery of physics. Don't be shy about seeing the Professor or tutorial instructor outside of class during the quarter; it will pay off for you in many ways.

Memorization of material is not particularly helpful in this class. Your goal in this class should be to understand how each new topic is related to all of the previous material, and how the concepts, rules and formulae can be applied to solve real-world problems. Never let anything go by if you do not understand. Generally, ask questions immediately. If it is inconvenient to interrupt, make a quick note to yourself and inquire later.

General Comments

Grading Policy

Concurrent enrollment in tutorial (also called "quiz section") is mandatory; students will receive a combined grade for lecture and tutorial. The final course grade is based on two midterms, the final exam, the lecture homework, plus tutorial participation and exercises.
  • Midterm exams: There will be two closed-book midterm exams. Each midterm will emphasize the more recent material, but may include topics from far earlier in the course and earlier courses. The exams will could include both multiple-choice and hand-graded questions. An equation sheet containing selected numerical values and major equations will be provided for each midterm exam, so memorizing equations and numerical values should not be necessary. Calculators are permitted, but text storage and graphics functionality must not be used. Cell phones, radios, etc. are not permitted. Laptop computers are not permitted. Exams are to be your own work; you are not permitted to collaborate with any other person. The Physics Department reserves the right to ask for valid identification from any student during examinations.
  • Note that there are no make-up exams. Students with outside professional, service, or career commitments (i.e. military service, ROTC, professional conference presentation, NCAA sports, etc.) conflicting exactly with the exam dates must contact the instructor early in the quarter to establish alternate procedures. Students who miss an exam due to illness should contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss alternate procedures. Students who miss an exam without making prior arrangements with the lecture instructor will get a zero for that exam score. Except for illness and circumstances noted above, a final grade of 0.0 may be assigned to any student who misses a midterm exam.
  • Final Exam: A two-hour closed-book comprehensive final exam is given during finals week. This examination will cover material from the entire course, but the material will be weighted towards more recent material. An equation sheet containing selected numerical values and major equations will be provided for the final exam. Calculators are permitted, but text storage and graphics functionality must not be used. Cell phones, radios, etc. are not permitted. Laptop computers are not permitted. The final exam is to be your own work; you are not permitted to collaborate with any other person. The Physics department reserves the right to ask for valid identification from any student during examinations. A final grade of 0.0 will be assigned to any student who misses the final exam.
  • Exam Re-grades: If you believe that the points on the examination were incorrectly totaled or if there is a gross error in the grading, you may return an exam for regrading. To do so, you must resubmit the examination no later than at the beginning of the lecture following the one in which the exams are returned. You must write a brief note on a separate piece of paper explaining the possible error in the grading, and staple this note to the front of the exam pages when you submit them for re-grading. Do not make *any* changes or marks on any pages of the examination. You should be aware that any request for a regrade may result in grading of the entire exam. Therefore your total score may increase or decrease.
  • Tutorials ("quiz sections"): Grading policies will be explained in your tutorial section. Please note that grades for your tutorial form a significant percentage of your overall grade for the course. ***Also, a passing grade in the tutorial is required in order to pass the course.
  • Homework:
    • Lecture homework will be assigned and collected weekly. You'll usually turn in homework on the due-day in class. You may also leave the homework in the instructor's mailbox in the Physics Department Main office. Late homework receives zero points. Note that not all the homework problems will be graded. ** Also, you must pass 6/8 homework sets to pass the class. (A passing homework is 30%.)
  • The lecture and tutorial instructors may choose to not take action on grading complaints that are not reported in a timely fashion.

    • The Physics Study Center

    Students are encouraged to gather and work cooperatively in small groups in the Physics Study Center located in room AM018 of the Physics & Astronomy building. (To reach the Physics Study Center, go down the stairs that circle behind the Foucault pendulum and proceed toward the end of the hall). Teaching assistants will be available for consultation during many portions of the day if your study group needs assistance, but staffing levels will not support much individual attention. The Study Center is staffed from approximately 9:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays.