8.02 SPRING 2000

ORGANIZATION & COURSE INFORMATION

 

 

Lectures:    Prof. Hale Bradt, Room 37-587, Phone 3-7550; email bradt@mit.edu
Admin:            Prof. George Koster, Room 4-334, Phone 3-4870, email phyjbm@mit.edu
                        Ms. Claudia LaBollita-James, Physics Education Office, Room 4-352, phone 3-4461, email cljames@mit.edu

Text             Physics Vol. 2, Halliday, Resnick, Krane, 4rd Edition, Wiley
                        "Physics Vol 2" covers E&M and optics. (Optics is not covered in this course.) Do not confuse with "Fundamentals of Physics" (somewhat lower level). This year the publisher is providing the Coop with the "Physics Vol. 2 Extended" version for 8.02, which is identical to the regular Vol. 2 but with some additional unneeded content at the end, at the same cost as the regular Vol 2. You can use either version for this course.

8.01 Prerequisite Required

We have found that most students who have not completed 8.01 (in any version) are not able to satisfactorily complete 8.02. The Department of Physics therefore mandates that the 8.01 prerequisite (any version) be satisfied for all taking the course. Persons taking the course without the prerequisite will receive no grade on any of the exams nor credit for the course, unless they successfully petition the Physics Department through Prof. Richard Yamamoto.

To get the prerequisite waived for 8.02 (any version), one *must* fill out a petition and Prof. Richard Yamamoto *may* approve the petition if all four of the following criteria are met:
                    1. the student's 8.01 (any version) grade was *D*, not *F*
                    2. the student is not on "Dean's Warning"
                    3. the student would have completed 18.02 (any version) or 18.03 in the Mathematics sequence, before starting on 8.02.
                    4. the petition has the approval of the student's Freshman Advisor

Alternative Reading (in Physics Reading Room 26- 152 or in Reserve Reading Rooms)
                    Marion and Hornyak, Physics Part 2, Saunders
                    Purcell, Electricity and Magnetism, 2nd Ed., McGraw Hill
                    Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. II, Addison Wesley
                    Ohanian, Physics Vol. II, W.W. Norton
                    Young & Freedman, University Physics Vol 2, 9th Edit., Addison & Wesley

Each of these books has a somewhat different approach or level. Reading another author's approach to the subject matter can often be a great help with a subtle concept. The Marion and Hornyak book goes into most topics somewhat more deeply than HR & K. The Ohanian text shows modern applications of E & M and also goes into some topics more deeply than HR & K. Purcell and Feynman are both renowned physicists who took a turn at writing a textbook. Their books provide new ways to look at the material. The Purcell book uses a different set of units (cgs) which affects the form of equations in E & M; it doesn't in mechanics.

Handouts

Most material to be handed out will be distributed during IAP, in the Handout Room of the Physics Dept., 4-339B. The Handouts to look for, after 19 January, are:

            Handout Math:                 Mathematics Supplement for 8.02 (This one available 12 Jan.)
            Handout #1                     Syllabus and Notes (this document)..
            Handout #2                     Assignments (problems) and Notes
            Handout #3                     Solutions to Problems
            Handout #4                     Old Quiz Problems and Solutions
            Handout #5                     Lecture Viewgraphs (incl. diagrams of lecture demonstrations.)

Special Mathematics Supplement
This Mathematics Supplement passed out to you covers 18.02 material that we use in 8.02. It should be read right away (up to triple integrals, p. 19) and you should to the problems, preferably during IAP. In 8.02, we use simple extensions of your 18.01 calculus before they are covered in 18.02. In particular, the double integral (surface integral) is used early in the course. The emphasis in the supplement is that you become comfortable with the meaning of the double integral sign (e.g., "the product of a quantity and a differential element of area summed over a 2-dimensional surface"), rather than learning how to carry out complex integrations. We do almost none of the latter in this course.

Lectures
Lectures are in 26-100 on MWF at 10AM (repeated at 11AM). One lecture is on a Tuesday (Feb. 22)! There is a Review lecture before each Hour Test and two before the Final Exam. There will be one lecture on my research into black holes and neutron stars.

Lecture Preview Reading
A lecture-preview reading assignment is given for each lecture in the Syllabus. It consists of a small portion of the reading that will serve as a quick introduction to the lecture. It is hoped that you will look this over before the lecture in question.

Hour Tests and Final Exam

Three 1-hour tests will be given in your normal lecture hour. There will also be a final exam. Set aside these test times and dates now.

                                                                                    Test #1 Friday, Feb. 18
                                                                                    Test #2 Weds., March 15
                                                                                    Test #3 Weds., April 19
                                                                                    Final Exam To be scheduled

Each Hour Test will cover all previous material in the course, but with strong emphasis on the material since the previous Hour Test. The Final Exam will be a two hour test (3 hours allowed). It will consist of 3-4 problems on material previously covered in the Hour Tests, and 2 or 3 problems on the material covered after Hour Test #3. All papers for a given test problem will be graded together by a small group of staff to provide grading uniformity. Sample test problems will be provided.

It is important that you take your test at the time of your scheduled lecture, and at the assigned locations, according to the first letter of your last name . Otherwise severe crowding can occur, and you could be required to move, thus losing time for the test.                         A-K Room 50-340 Enter from Memorial Drive side.
                        L-Z Room 26-100

Excuses from Tests.
There will be no make-up tests. EXCUSES FROM THE HOUR TESTS MUST BE REQUESTED IN ADVANCE OF THE TEST (if you are physically able to do so) FROM PROF. GEORGE KOSTER, IN PERSON OR BY PHONE, 4-334, 3-4870. (If he does not answer, send email - phyjbm@mit.edu - asking him when you can call or where/when he can reach you.) Acceptable excuses will be rare and will be granted only for verifiable and significant medical reasons. EXCUSES NOT ACCEPTABLE include doctors' appointments, malfunctioning alarm clocks, the advent of Daylight Saving Time, oversleeping for any reason, travel delays/plans, etc. A grade of zero will be assigned for unexcused missed tests. If you are excused from a test, the remaining tests will be used to determine the overall average test grade. Institute rules govern absences from the Final Exam.

Recitation and Recitation Quizzes
The recitations, twice per week, are an opportunity to discuss the material and the problems. You are expected to participate in the recitation activities. There will be a short Quiz in recitation for each Assignment, about once a week (see Syllabus for dates). The other recitations will be designated "discussion recitations". You should be prepared to discuss the specified material in the "Discussion" recitations. Good preparation could consist of perusing the material and trying Part (a) of each Problem. You are expected to prepare for the "Quiz" recitations by doing the assigned Homework Problems. The homework will not be collected, but you should be ready to discuss issues pertaining to it in recitation. Recitation discussions and your preparations for them should run almost contemporaneously with the lectures. Your participation in recitation activities will help you become familiar with the material.

Changes in Recitation Section
In general, there will be no restriction on transfers between sections as long as space is available in the section you desire. You must obtain approval for the switch from the Physics Education Office, 4-352.

Homework Notes, Assignments and Solutions
A complete set of Notes & Assignments for the entire course is being handed out at the beginning of the term together with a full set of Solutions. The Notes for a given assignment summarize the important issues or points of possible confusion pertaining to that assignment. They are not meant to be a substitute for the Textbook. The problems are generally constructed in a multi-part tutorial format. You are expected to do the Homework as preparation for the Recitation Quizzes.

You should use the Solutions responsibly. Some of the concepts in E&M are subtle indeed, much more so than in mechanics! Simply reading (and/or copying) the Solutions is the surest way to fool yourself into thinking you understand the material. In fact, they are a poor study tool because they are often quite detailed (in an attempt to be complete), and this can tend to obscure the simple essence if one has not already tried and thought about the problem. So, put the Solutions out of reach (under your bed or in a friend's room), study the Text and Notes, and then spend 30 to 45 minutes on each and every problem (i.e., suffer a little), go back through them again, and then consult friends or Solutions as necessary. The Solutions are on yellow paper, so you will be appropriately self-conscious about overusing them.

The availability of the Solutions to you gives you rapid feedback on your work. However, it places a special responsibility upon you. It is our opinion that the class of 2003 is up to the challenge. We hope you will find this approach helpful to efficient learning of E & M.

Tutorials
This term, weekly tutorials will be open to all, and they will be required of students who score in the lower ~30% of the class on any given hour test. However, anyone is welcome. Prior to the first test, we encourage any student who feels he or she might benefit from extra help to attend the tutorials voluntarily. We would encourage especially students who earned a C in 8.01 (any version) or who are repeating 8.02 to attend. Each student required to participate (after the first test) will attend one one-hour session each week. He or she will be assigned a tutor based on the first letter of his/her family name. Changing tutors is generally not permitted; see Prof. Koster if you feel your circumstances merit it. Each tutor will always meet in the same tutorial cubicle, near the Physics Education Office (PEO, room 4-352) , i.e., in Room 4-336, 4-338, or 4-344.

The tutors' names, office/phone nos., the alphabetical assignments, the meeting locations, and the several meeting times for each instructor will be made available on the MIT WEB in the 8.02 Course Locker (web.mit.edu/8.02/www/) no later than 5PM on Tues. Feb. 1. Hard copies will also be posted outside the PEO in Bldg. 4.

If you wish to participate during the first few weeks, you must submit your first 3 choices of times (in order of preference) to your tutor by email before 11:59 PM on Weds Feb. 2. Your tutor will conduct a mini-lottery to assign meeting times to his/her students and will notify you of your assignment no later than Friday at 5 PM by return email. Tutorials will meet beginning Monday 7 Feb. After the each quiz the cutoff grade level will be announced and those required to attend will similarly email preferred times to their tutors. Watch the WEB Course Locker for further information on the signup process. As the term proceeds, you may negotiate times with your tutor to suit your convenience.

Participation in the tutorials should substantially improve your understanding and grade in the course. In addition, your tutor will keep track of your participation. If a student is consistent and conscientious, we will take this into account when assigning final grades to scores that lie at the C/D or D/F boundaries.

Credit and Grading
A final course grade will be constructed as follows:
                    Recitation quizzes: 20%
                    Hour tests @15%: 45%
                    Final Exam ` 35%

The Recitation Quizzes will be graded by your instructor. A zero will be recorded for missed quizzes, but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Before being weighted into the final grade, the grades from each instructor will undergo a normalization in an attempt to take into account his or her grading practices.

There will be no a-priori boundaries for various final letter grades because we may not anticipate well the difficulty of the tests and final exam. Our view of how much learning corresponds to a certain weighted grade will guide us in setting the boundaries. A grade of "A" will be reserved for truly excellent performance in all aspects of the course, and a "Pass" grade will be earned by those who have exhibited satisfactory (not "marginal") understanding of the material. It is theoretically possible for everyone to earn and A!

Honesty on Tests
It is our strong impression that the MIT student body, almost to a person, adheres to a very high standard of honesty. I have encountered only 2 or 3 cases of 'cheating' on tests in several decades, and these were always by persons who were under severe pressure to succeed, so much so that cheating apparently seemed the best thing to do. If you get behind, you must avoid this illogic; it can only cause you severe grief. No matter how desperate you may be, please remember that failing 8.02 cannot be as bad as the internal and external consequences of dishonesty. In a year or two, you will have put the failed course(s) well behind you, something you cannot easily do with the consequences of dishonesty. We will take any case of cheating on tests that do come to our attention very, very seriously. (Think: Committee on Discipline). There are simply no extenuating circumstances for such actions. This pertains to potential helpers, to helpees, and to those who might be tempted to seek (or pass on) in any way advance information about test content.

Honesty on Homework
Since we do not require you to turn in the Homework as an evaluation of your understanding, you are free to use the Homework in any manner you see fit. We urge you, though, to make good use of it and to use the Solutions and your friends responsibly as described above.

Feedback to the Staff
You should feel free to make suggestions (written or oral or email, confidential or open) to any of the staff at any time. Please feel free to jot down and submit a note about any aspect of the course - positive or negative - to me (HB), your recitation instructor, or to the Physics Education Office. We will solicit course-wide confidential feedback a couple of times during the term. Also, we encourage instructors to request additional confidential opinions from their classes.

Discussions with me.
I plan to meet briefly (10 -15 min.) once a week with any students who voluntarily show up for discussion about how the course is going, at Noon (right after the 2nd lecture) each Wednesday in 26-100. The sessions will probably draw only a few people so they tend to be relaxed informal discussions about the course and other matters. I encourage you to participate.

A Personal Note and a Challenge
Exactly fifty-one years ago, I (your lecturer) was a freshman at Princeton Univ. That year I had a remarkably successful spring term. My fall term performance had been adequate but not great; e.g., I received a D on my Economics midterm. In the spring term, I changed my study habits to free up time for violin practice every evening, and it worked. I not only freed up all my evenings, but I also earned spectacularly good grades while spending much less total time studying!

So, what did I do? What was the secret? Simply this: (1) I had no other time-consuming activities during the week or weekends, except for a weekly afternoon violin lesson in NYC that took all afternoon including the train travel. (2) I used all my free daylight hours, including weekends, for my studies, and (3) I set early deadlines for completing my assignments. The result was that I usually had all assignments for a given week completed on Sunday at the beginning of the week, and I was completely free every evening for the practicing!

Why did it work? First, I was studying when I was awake and alert, and hence more efficient. Second, I found that I was usually ahead of the lecturers and recitations. Thus I always knew what was going on in class, found the classes to be a valuable review and very helpful in clarifying difficult issues. In other words, the class time was much more efficiently used for learning the material than before. This led to much better grades with much less effort! Also, I was much more relaxed and content that term than in any other term.

What happened after that great term? That is a less happy story! I did graduate, but suffice it to say that it is easier and more tempting to work at practical tasks in living groups or extracurricular activities than to face up to the difficult intellectual challenges that arise in one's studies. (Beware!)

Can you emulate this? If you do, I would be delighted to hear about it at the end of the term!

END