PHY 212: General Physics II – Electricity and Magnetism

Fall 2023 Course Syllabus

Overview
In Physics 212, you will learn about electricity, magnetism, and the unification of the two:
electromagnetism. Radio communication was a direct consequence of improved scientific understanding of
these subjects, and hence our present-day hyper-connected society owes much of its existence to the work of
the pioneers who uncovered the laws of electromagnetism. The objectives of this course are: (1) To
develop a basic understanding of the laws of electromagnetism; (2) to develop the ability to apply these new
concepts, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to familiar and unfamiliar physical situations.

Course details
Instructor/ Eric Coughlin
Professor Email: ecoughli@syr.edu, Office: 263-4 Physics Bldg.
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 11:00AM - 1:00 PM
TA’s Ananya Bandopadhyay, abandopa@syr.edu
Daniel Paradiso, dparadis@syr.edu
Nandita Tiwari, natiwari@syr.edu
John Batarekh, jvbatare@syr.edu
Concerns For questions on Kudu (see below) homework problems,
please contact the TA appropriate to your recitation
section. For other matters, please contact Eric.
Lecture Tue. & Thur., 9:30-10:50 AM, Stolkin Auditorium
times (Physics Bldg 1st floor)
Credits 3
Prerequisi PHY 211 or PHY 215 (General Physics I)
tes PHY 221 (General Physics I Laboratory)
MAT 285 or MAT 295 (Calculus I)
Co- PHY 222 (General Physics II Laboratory)
requisites MAT 286 or MAT 296 (Calculus II)
Recitation Your recitation section will meet for 55 minutes each
Wednesday and Friday.
Enrollmen If you are having trouble adding/dropping the course, or
t issues switching sections, please speak with Kristine Weisblatt
via email: phyacademics@syr.edu
Blackboar Your grades will be posted on blackboard:
d http://blackboard.syr.edu/
Kudu We will use the free online homework system, Kudu, for
(Online this course (see below for instructions on signing up).
homework
)
Physics A physics clinic is operated in room 112 of the Physics
clinic Bldg. You can drop by to get help with physics problems.
Lab There is a lab for this course, PHY 222, but the lab and the
course are completely disconnected. Therefore, if you have
a question regarding the lab, you must ask the lab
instructor or your lab TA.
Textbook
There is one book for this class, the Openstax free textbook - “University Physics Volume 2”:

PHY 212 Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 1

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2. You can download a pdf (but make sure it is
the most up-to-date version!) or use your internet browser.

Homework and recitation

Homework will be completed online. We will use Kudu, which is free. Instructions for signing up for our
course:
1. Go to www.kudu.com.
2. Create an account – Important: in the Student/University ID field, please use your *9 digit* SUID
(ignoring the last 0 on your ID card)

3. Click the red "+" button to sign up for a new course and search for the course ID: 9joqp2
4. To access this course directly go to  https://www.kudu.com/?course=9joqp2.
5. This is a FREE course and you will not be charged any fees.
6. Make sure you see "PHY212-Fall23" on your Kudu homepage.
7. If you need assistance contact support@kudu.com.

Recitation problem sets

For each meeting of your recitation section there will be a corresponding Kudu assignment that includes
problems for you to solve. You should look at these problems before recitation and try to solve as many of
them as you can, but you do not need to submit any of your answers before recitation. At the recitation
section meetings, you will have a chance to review your understanding of the problems with other students
in small groups. In a given week, you will have two sets of Kudu problems, one for the Wednesday and one
for the Friday recitation. After working on these problems individually and together, you should submit
your final answers online in your Kudu account for credit, by the end of the weekend (due by Sunday
night). We encourage you to work these problems out on paper or in a separate app on your laptop or tablet,
and wait to submit your answers until you are satisfied with your understanding. Attending recitation and
learning with your peers is essential for keeping up in this course; to reward this, you will earn credit for
attending recitation, and additional credit for working with your classmates in your small groups. Finally,
you are given credit for your score when you submit the Kudu problems.

Two-week problem sets

You will also be assigned additional problems on Kudu that are due approximately every two weeks. You
are encouraged to work on these problems with your peers as well. Note that the problems will be available
before you have learned all the necessary material, so you will not be able to do them all immediately. We
will cover the material in lecture before the problems are due.

Quizzams
There will be 5 assessments throughout the semester, which are designed to be a hybrid between a short quiz
and a more traditional, longer exam. These will be held in Stolkin during scheduled class times. If you
cannot make it to a particular scheduled Quizzam, please let Prof. Coughlin know ASAP.

Because this is a large-enrollment course (typically > 200 students), the quizzam format will be multiple
choice; this will enable us to return your scores to you in a timely manner. However, we would like to give
you partial credit, as physics is most often about the process and the sequence of steps taken to arrive at an
answer, rather than the answer itself. Therefore, below each question we will provide you space to show
your work, and even if you select the wrong answer you will be eligible to receive partial credit.

You may bring a single, one-sided sheet of notes/equations to use for each Quizzam. You cannot use any
external assistance. This includes online “answer mills,” such as Chegg, Slader, etc. Using services like

PHY 212 Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 2

these is a serious Level 2 violation of S.U.’s academic integrity policy (see below), and will result in a
failing grade for the semester, probation, or potentially more serious repercussions for a repeat offense.
Uploading of any course materials (homework or exam questions) to services like these is an egregious
Level 3 violation of S.U.’s academic integrity policy, and is additionally a violation of United States
copyright laws. Additional information about academic integrity can be found later in this document.

Calendar
Under Topic, the number in parenthesis is the chapter in the text. The exact timing of lecture topics may
change slightly during the semester.

Wee Date Topic + Chapter reading Notes

k
1 8/29 Electric charges & forces (5) Welcome!
8/31
2 9/5 Electric fields (5)
9/7
3 9/12 Electric fields (5) Quizzam 1: Thursday
9/14 9/14
4 9/19 Gauss’ law (6)
9/21
5 9/26 Gauss’ law & Electric potential
9/28 (6,7)
6 10/3 Electric potential (7) Quizzam 2: Thursday
10/5 10/5
7 10/10 Capacitance (8) No class: Tuesday 10/10
10/12
8 10/17 Capacitance, Current &
10/19 resistance (8,9)
9 10/24 Current & resistance (9) Quizzam 3: Thursday
10/26 10/26
10 10/31 DC Circuits (10)
11/2
11 11/7 Circuits, Magnetic forces &
11/9 fields (10,11)
12 11/14 Magnetic forces & fields (11) Quizzam 4: Thursday
11/16 11/16
13 11/21 THANKSGIVING WEEK No class: Tuesday
11/23 11/21, Thursday 11/23
14 11/28 Sources of magnetic fields (12)
11/30
15 12/5 Electromagnetic induction (13)
12/7
16 12/12 Quizzam 5 Quizzam 5: Tuesday
12/12

Grading
The distribution of points used in determining your final grade is: 
 Quizzams 50%
 “Two-week” Kudu homeworks 25%
 Recitation (15% Kudu problems, 5% attendance, 5% participation) 25%

Your grade in this course is not curved. Thus, it is possible for every student in the class to get an “A”. Your
course grade will be based on the following scale:
A 90-100 A- 85-89
B+ 80-84 B 75-79 B- 70-74
PHY 212 Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 3
C+ 65-69 C 60-64 C- 55-59
D 40-54
F 0-39

Laboratory
PHY 222 is the laboratory component of PHY 212, but it is taught independently of PHY 212. We cannot
help with logistical issues regarding the laboratory course.

Public Health
What to do if you’re not feeling well: One of the most important things you can do is to stay home if you
are sick.

What to do if you’re seriously sick: If you have an illness or injury that interferes with your ability to do
work in our class, talk to us! The Center for Disability Resources also helps students with short-term injuries
and illnesses – concussions, broken bones, etc. If you are sick or hurt, we will work with you and with CDR
to do whatever we can to accommodate your condition.

If you are sick and miss things, we will be flexible with deadlines to allow you to catch up. If you miss a
large amount of class (two weeks or more), you may be eligible to take an “incomplete grade” in the course.
If you think you might need to use this option, it is important to talk to us as early as possible so we can
discuss arrangements. In general, only students who have completed a meaningful amount of classwork with
a passing grade are eligible to take an incomplete.

Syracuse University’s academic integrity policy

Syracuse University’s academic integrity policy reflects the high value that we, as a university community,
place on honesty in academic work. The policy defines our expectations for academic honesty and holds
students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit. Students should understand that it is their
responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university-wide academic
integrity expectations. The university policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of
work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other
verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same
written work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both
instructors. The presumptive penalty for a first instance of academic dishonesty by an undergraduate student
is course failure, accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the failure resulted from a violation of
academic integrity policy. The presumptive penalty for a first instance of academic dishonesty by a graduate
student is suspension or expulsion. SU students are required to read an online summary of the university’s
academic integrity expectations and provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year
during pre-term check-in on MySlice. For more information and the complete policy,
see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/.

Disability-related accommodations
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services
(ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of 804 University Avenue, or call (315) 443-
4498, TDD: (315) 443-1371 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting
accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue
students with documented “Disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters”, as appropriate. Since
accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact
ODS as soon as possible.

Religious observances policy

SU religious observances notification and policy, found at http://hendricks.syr.edu/spiritual-life/ index.html,
recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of
students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holidays according to their tradition. Under the policy,
students are provided an opportunity to make up any exam, study, or work requirements that may be missed
due to a religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of
classes for regular session classes and by the submission deadline for flexibly formatted classes.

PHY 212 Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 4

For fall and spring semesters, an online notification process is available for students in MySlice /
StudentServices / Enrollment / MyReligiousObservances / Add a Notification. Instructors may access a list
of their students who have submitted a notification in My Slice Faculty Center.

Equal opportunity, inclusion and resolution services

The Code of Ethical Conduct is a statement of principles guiding the activities of all faculty, staff, and
students. It provides, in part, that we:  Respect the rights and dignity of all persons and recognize that
discrimination or harassment in any form undermines the fundamental principles of the University; and
Support a respectful environment through our own actions, encourage respectful behavior in others, and
speak out against hatred and bias.  Additional information can be found at www.syr.edu/hcd/equal-
opportunity.html. If you have any concerns about these matters, write to the Office of Equal Opportunity,
Inclusion and Resolution Services at titleix@syr.edu.

We want to hear your feedback! You are an important part of our community, and we value your opinion; if
you have any comments, concerns, or suggestions that you would like to relay anonymously, you can fill out
the survey found here (you can also use the QR code below):
https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9pORpTKnq6pLeyF

PHY 212 Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 5