PHYS 1P22/1P92 - Introductory Physics II
Course outline
What Brock calendar entry says:
Statics and dynamics of fluids; heat and thermodynamics; geometrical and wave optics; electric and magnetic forces; DC circuits and special relativity.
What do I need to bring into the course?
This course is suitable for students with a high school science background. High school calculus or Physics are not required, but strong skills in elementary algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are necessary: the course is quantitative in nature. A non-graphing scientific calculator is required. PHYS 1P21/1P91 is prerequisite to this course.
Textbook
https://openstax.org/details/college-physics.
Topics to be covered
As time permits, some topics not listed below may be added, while some other topics may not be covered during lectures and tutorial sessions. The outline below is only an approximation.
  • Fluid Statics: Sections 11.1-11.7.
  • Fluid Dynamics: Sections 12.1-12.3.
  • Temperature & Gas Laws: Sections 13.1-13.5.
  • Heat: Sections 14.1-14.4.
  • Thermodynamics: Sections 15.1-15.4, 15.6-15.7.
  • Electric Charge & Electric Field: Sections 18.1-18.5, 18.7.
  • Electric Potential & Electric Energy: Sections 19.1-19.7.
  • Electric Current & Resistance: Sections 20.1-20.5.
  • Circuits & DC Instruments: Section 21.1.
  • Magnetism: Sections 22.1-22.5, 22.9.
  • Electromagnetic Waves: Sections 24.1-24.4.
  • Geometric Optics: Sections 25.1-25.7.
  • Wave Optics: Sections 27.1-27.5, 27.8.
  • Special Relativity: Sections 28.1-28.6.
Textbook Chapters 1-9, 16, 17 and 29 were covered in PHYS 1P21/91, and are required as mandatory background material for PHYS 1P22/92. Please make sure to review them if needed.
Component PHYS 1P22 PHYS 1P92 Comments
Homework 20% 20% Problem sets to be completed on the Möbius platform.
Quizzes 40% 30% In-class quiz, every Tuesday from 2-3 pm. Please bring a non-graphing calculator.
Final Exam 40% 30% Minimum passing grade is 50%. Please bring a non-graphing calculator.
Laboratories - 20% Completing all labs, and submitting written lab reports are required to complete the lab component of the course. Students receiving a lab grade that is lower than 60% overall average will be required to withdraw from PHYS 1P92, and will only be able to receive a grade in PHYS 1P22.
Final passing grade is 50%. If you fail to obtain at least 50% on the final exam, you do not obtain a credit in the course (regardless of your calculated final grade). The Registrar's Office will enter your final grade as the lower of your calculated final grade or 45F. In this case, to attain a credit for the course, you would need to repeat the course.
Homework

  • No late submissions will be accepted without an official academic exception (such as a self-medical declaration form or other exception from Student Accessibility Serives.)
Quizzes

  • If you will miss a quiz, you must inform the instructor in advance of the quiz date to schedule a make-up quiz.
Labs

    Lateness Maximum Possible grade
    less than 24 h 70%
    less than 48 h 40%
    less than 72 h 10%

You attempted PHYS 1P91/1P92 in the past ...

  1. ...and you passed the course, congratulations!
  2. ...and you did not pass the course because of falling short in some combination of...:
    • homework,
    • weekly quizzes,
    • not achieving 50% on the final exam, and/or
    • not achieving 60% for the lab grade requirement.
    1. If your previous lab grade was > 60%, you will not need to complete the labs again, unless you’d like to attempt for a better lab grade. You will need to repeat the theory part of the course. In this case, you must also contact the senior lab coordinator for further instructions on how to register for the 1P91/1P92 course in its next offering.
    2. If your previous lab grade was < 60%, you will have to register for the next offering of 1P91/1P92 and repeat the entire course.
  3. ... you passed, BUT you were given credit for PHYS 1P21/1P22 only.
    1. You are still missing the lab component! We offer credit in 1P21/1P22 for students whose only failing was the lab component of the course. You can complete the lab-only component during the next offering of the PHYS 1P91/1P92 course and be upgraded to 1P91/1P92. Please contact the senior lab coordinator.

You successfully completed PHYS 1P91/1P92 in the past ...

  1. ...and you now need a Physics course with a lab component. Please contact the senior lab coordinator. You can complete the lab-only component during the next offering of the PHYS 1P91/1P92 course and be upgraded to 1P91/1P92.
  2. If you are going for one of the ‘upgrade’ options, and are contacting the senior lab coordinator:

    • Email them at least a few weeks before the beginning of term
    • Include all pertinent details (your situation, when you last took the course, your grades, etc)

    The senior lab coordinator will help arrange the lab section for you, and informally register you in the course. You will be given access to all lab material on the learning management system.

    At the end of a successful attempt at the lab credit, the physics department will submit a change of grade form to the Registrar’s office.

    Note:

    1. Your new final grade is calculated based on the grade composition set during the semester you completed the original course.
    2. Once the upgrade is completed by the Registrar’s office, you will be charged the non-refundable lab fees for the PHYS 1P91 and/or PHYS 1P92 lab course.
    3. The Physics Department will not allow resubmission of old lab reports; all work completed must be original. The department uses TurnItIn to enforce this rule.
    4. You will not be allowed to complete PHYS 1P92 labs until you have successfully completed PHYS 1P91 labs.

    Policy Version 2024-02

Here is a summary of our expectations of you, which are your responsibilities. You are expected to:
  • attend each scheduled lecture and laboratory session;
  • do your work honestly and maintain academic integrity
  • complete each test, using only the materials that have been authorized for use, such as a non-graphics calculator and writing instruments.
  • attend labs (PHYS 1P92) having prepared in advance by reading relevant parts of the lab manual, and having completed the prelab problems.

And most important of all, you must take responsibility for your own learning. The lectures are there to guide you and assist you, but only you can actually do the hard work of learning the course material. To get the most out of the course, work on it a little bit every day. Daily work is key for placing your learning in long-term memory, where it will be readily available to help you to advance your knowledge in second year and beyond - and acing the final exam, of course. Cramming on the night before may place the material in your short-term memory and you might even do fine on a weekly test, where the amount of new material is relatively small, but this approach will fail miserably on the final exam.

Your instructor will provide weekly textbook chapter references; read through those sections. The best way is to read them twice: once before the lectures, just to orient yourself in the material, to identify those parts that seem like they might need extra time and attention. Make a note of the questions that arise in your mind. The lecture should answer some of them, and if it does not, raise your hand and ask! It is likely that many others have the same question. After the lecture, read the textbook again, with a pen and paper in hand, repeating all derivations on your own, trying every solved example before looking at the solution, then solving every follow-up questions at the end of the section.

Use your time effectively. Study smart, instead of hard. Ask questions in class. Your instructor will be available during the office hours in MC E220, sending an email first is a good way to check availability. There is also a Physics Help Desk, with TAs available to help out. Find out where and when it is held, and come often. It is better to come three times with one or two questions than once with a list accumulated over the past several weeks, when things get too desperate. Asking questions is a sign of active learning, make sure to do that!

Homework assignments are to be submitted on the Möbius platform. Link to each homework assignment will be posted on the Brightspace page.

Useful resource to review physics and math concepts:
  • PPLATO also contains useful review links

Academic misconduct is a serious offence. The principle of academic integrity, particularly of doing one’s own work, documenting properly (including use of quotation marks, appropriate paraphrasing and referencing/citation), collaborating appropriately, and avoiding misrepresentation, is a core principle in university study. Students should consult “Academic Misconduct” section in the Undergraduate Calendar to view a fuller description of prohibited actions, and the procedures and penalties. The University takes academic misconduct extremely seriously and will follow its strict procedures to the letter in all cases.

A helpful website explains Brock's Academic Integrity Policy. Please consult it, as all students are expected to know and abide by its provisions.

Courses may use turnitin.com, a phrase-matching software, to verify originality of your submitted lab reports and written assignments. If you object to uploading your assignmentsr to turnitin.com for any reason, please notify the instructor to discuss alternative submissions.

Be aware that it is the policy of the Department of Physics that any academic misconduct including (but not limited to) possessing, using or accessing unauthorized material in any form (including online) during final exams or assessments will automatically result in zero grade for the exam. Since most courses require a minimum passing grade on the final exam to complete the course, this will likely lead to a failure in the course.

FMS Penalties for Academic Misconduct

Unless otherwise specified, the Department of Physics follows the following minimum penalty guidelines for cases of academic misconduct in the Faculty of Mathematics and Science (FMS). Please be aware that the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs, may assign different penalties than those listed here, depending on the details of individual cases. Also note that cheating on exams carries significantly higher penalties.

First offence:
Zero grade on the assignment, additional penalty of 100% of the weight of the assignment to be subtracted from the final grade, mandatory completion of the AZLS Academic Integrity workshop
Second offence:
Zero grade on assignment, additional penalty of 200% of the weight of the assignment to be subtracted from the final grade, 4-month suspension
Third or additional offence:
Zero grade in the course, 1-year suspension, permanent removal from major program.
Cheating on exams:
Zero grade in the course, including for first offenses.
Intellectual Property Notice

All slides, presentations, handouts, tests, exams, and other course materials created by the instructor in this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. A student who publicly posts or sells an instructor’s work, without the instructor’s express consent, may be charged with misconduct under Brock’s Academic Integrity Policy and/or Code of Conduct, and may also face adverse legal consequences for infringement of intellectual property rights.

Important dates

Please be aware of all the important dates, such as the first/last days of classes, snow days and reading week, as well as the deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty. For the current academic term, this information can be found here.

Accommodations

The University is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and will adhere to the Human Rights principles that ensure respect for dignity, individualized accommodation, inclusion and full participation. The University provides a wide range of resources to assist students, as follows:

  1. If you require academic accommodation because of a disability or an ongoing health or mental health condition, please contact Student Accessibility Services at askSAS@brocku.ca or 905 688 5550 ext. 3240.
  2. Medical Self-Declaration Forms (brief absence up to 72 hours)

    In the case of a short-term medical circumstance, if a student wishes to seek an academic consideration, please use the Medical Self-Declaration Form. The request is to be made in good faith by the student requesting the academic consideration due to a short-term condition that impacts their academic activities (e.g., participation in academic classes, delay in assignments, etc.). The period of this short-term medical condition for academic consideration must fall within a 72-hour (3 day) period. The form must be submitted to the instructor either during your brief absence or if you are too unwell, within 24 hours of the end of your 3 day brief absence.

    Medical Verification Form (extended duration)

    In cases where a student requests academic consideration due to a medical circumstance that exceeds 72 hours (three days) and will impact their academic activities (e.g., participation in academic classes, delay in assignments, etc.), or in the case of a final exam deferral, the medical verification form must be signed by the student and the health professional as per process set out in the Faculty Handbook III:9.4.1.

  3. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, contact the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre. Good2Talk is a service specifically for post-secondary students, available 24/7, 365 days a year, and provides anonymous assistance. Follow the above link or call 1-866-925-5454. For information on wellness, coping and resiliency, visit: Brock University (Mental Health).
  4. If you require academic accommodation on religious grounds, you should make a formal, written request to your instructor(s) for alternative dates and/or means of satisfying requirements. Such requests should be made during the first two weeks of any given academic term, or as soon as possible after a need for accommodation is known to exist.
  5. If you have been affected by sexual violence, the Human Rights & Equity Office offers support, information, reasonable accommodations, and resources through the Sexual Violence Support & Education Coordinator. For information on sexual violence, visit Brock's Sexual Assault and Harassment Policy or contact the Sexual Violence Support & Response Coordinator at humanrights@brocku.ca or 905 688 5550 ext. 4387.
  6. If you have experienced discrimination or harassment on any of the above grounds, including racial, gender or other forms of discrimination, contact the Human Rights and Equity Office at humanrights@brocku.ca.

For a full description of academic policies in the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, consult brocku.ca/mathematics-science/