General Information

Physics S1202X. General physics, II. Summer 2016

3 points
Prerequisites: Physics S1201 or the equivalent; high school mathematics and elementary calculus required (it is used
in the text).
The same course as Physics S1202Q, but given in a twelve-week session. The accompanying laboratory is Physics
S1292X.
Assignments to discussion sections are made after the first lecture. Basic introduction to the study of electricity,
magnetism, optics, special relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics.
Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00 PM - 7:25 PM, room 301 Pupin. (Note the time change).
Professor: Joel Gersten
Teaching Assistant: Rafael Krichevsky rk2496@columbia.edu
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed. 5:00 PM - 5:50 PM, Room 831.
E-mail:
jlg8@columbia.edu
Telephone: (212)650-7314 (voicemail).
Textbook: Fundamentals of Physics, 10th Ed., Extended Version, Halliday, Resnick and Walker, (John Wiley
and Sons, New York, 2014). ISBN 1 9781118730232
Web-site: http://newcourseworks.columbia.edu (Files and Resources)
Syllabus: The course will cover electricity and magnetism (chapters 21-33), optics (chapters 35-36), and modern
physics (chapters 37-40, 42-43) including special relativity, introduction to quantum mechanics and nuclear physics.
Homework: Problem sets will be assigned. They will be collected (one week after the material is covered in
lecture), monitored, and returned with solution sheets posted on the website (http://newcourseworks.columbia.edu).
Due dates will be announced in class.
WileyPlus Website: (Optional) For those students who wish to make use of the resources at the WileyPlus website
you will need to register at http://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/class/cls516746
Examinations: Two 85-minute examinations and a 170-minute final examination. No communications devices of
any kind are permitted during the examinations.
Problem Sessions: The optional classes may are held Mon. 5:00-6:00 PM and Wed. 7:30-8:30 PM in Room 301.
Illustrative examples and problem-solving techniques will be discussed during these informal sessions.
Laboratories: The corresponding laboratory course is Physics S1292x, with weekly 3-hour sessions on the fifth
floor of Pupin from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. (In addition to eight experiments related to the lecture course's syllabus, there
will be three self-contained experiments on geometrical optics.) The sessions will meet either Tuesday, Wednesday
or Thursday. The lab instructors for the various sections are:
Section A ( Tuesday) Konrad
Section B ( Wednesday) Bigeng
Section C (Wednesday) Jiqun
Section D (Thursday) Tianle
Section E (Thursday) -Jiqun
Calculators: Each student must have a simple scientific calculator for use doing the homework assignments, the
laboratory reports, and the examinations.

Grades: Grades will be based on the two mid-term examinations (each worth 25%) and the final examination (worth
50%). Homework information will be used to resolve borderline cases.
Supplementary Textbooks: These books are not required. They present a different viewpoint of the course
material.
Sears, Zemansky and Young, College Physics, Seventh Edition (Addison Wesley).
D. Giancoli, Physics (Prentice-Hall),
J. D. Cutnell and K. W. Johnson, Physics, (Wiley)
Laboratory Library: There is a laboratory library open in Pupin Room 506. The times will be Monday 11:4512:45 and 3:30-5:00, Tuesday 11:45-12:45 and 4, and Wednesday 4:30-6:00.. The instructors are Bigeng and
Tianle. Students who wish to take advantage of this resource will have a chance to familiarize themselves with the
equipment to be used in the laboratory experiments. A graduate student will be present who can answer questions
relating to the use of the equipment. The Lab library operation begins on Tuesday, May 31.
Help Room: There is help available in Pupin Room 413 on Monday from 11:45-12:45 and 3:30-5:00, Tuesday
from 11:45-12:45, and on Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. The instructors are Tianle and Bigeng. The Help Room
operation begins on May 31.

PHYSICS S1202x
Summer 2016
(Tentative syllabus)
Lecture
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Date

Chapter

Topic

5/23
5/25
6/1
6/6
6/8
6/13
6/15
6/20
6/22
6/27
6/29
7/6
7/11
7/13
7/18
7/20
7/25
7/27
8/1
8/3
8/8
8/10

21 (1-3)
Electric charge
22 (1-7)
Electric fields
23 (1-6)
Gauss law
24 (1-8)
Electric potential
25 (1-6)
Capacitance
26 (1-5)
Current and resistance
27 (1-4)
Circuits
Exam 1
(Chapters 21-26)
28 (1-8)
Magnetic fields
29 (1-5)
Magnetic fields due to currents
30 (1-9), 31(1,3,5,6)
Induction and inductance
32 (1-8)
Maxwells equations; magnetism of matter
33 (1-7)
Electromagnetic waves
35 (1-5)
Interference
36 (1,3,5,7)
Diffraction
Exam 2
(Chapters 27-30, 31, 32-33)
37 (1-6)
Special relativity
38 (1-9), 39(1-5)
Photons and matter waves
40(1-7)
Introduction to Atoms
42(1-8)
More about atoms, Introduction to nuclei
43(1-6)
Nuclear physics and energy from the nucleus
Final Examination (Cumulative: Chapters 21-30, 31, 32-33,35-40,42-43)

PHYSICS S1202x
Homework problems
Summer 2016
Chapter Problems
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
35
36
37
38
39
40
42
43

5, 13, 22, 24, 41, 42, 69

10, 15, 19, 38, 53, 59, 64, 66, 67, 72, 77, 81, 84
39, 44, 49, 51, 52, 62, 78
15, 17, 18, 45, 47, 49, 57, 59, 67, 75, 88, 89, 91
9, 12, 23, 33, 45, 57, 73
3, 29, 32, 33, 53, 61, 75
23, 30, 33, 41, 45, 49, 63
9, 27, 41, 44, 49, 51, 76, 79
12, 20, 21, 35, 65, 69, 78, 82
23, 26, 28, 29, 34, 53, 65, 91
15, 17, 55, 63, 65
2, 6, 16, 25, 30, 56, 63
53, 59, 61, 65, 75, 76, 79, 82
19, 21, 74, 75, 93, 94, 99
9, 29, 48, 63, 69, 77, 91
13, 23, 31, 33, 45, 48, 57, 60a, 61a
1, 12, 19, 36, 53, 66, 67
12, 16, 17
10, 16, 17, 23, 30
1, 20, 24, 27, 37, 40, 50, 60, 68
10, 30, 39