Optics, Electromagnetism, and Circuits

Curriculum Guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
PHYS 1210
Descriptive
Optics, Electromagnetism, and Circuits
Department
Physics
Faculty
Science & Technology
Credits
5.00
Start Date
End Term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
36
Course Designation
None
Industry Designation
None
Contact Hours

Lecture: 4 hours/week

and

Lab: 3 hours/week

Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Lab
Learning Activities

Classroom time will be used for lectures, demonstrations, discussions, problem solving practice, and/or in-class assignments (which may include work in groups). The lab part of this course involves a weekly three-hour session during which students will perform experiments related to the course content to build practical experimental and data analysis skills. Some of these experiments may span more than one week. Work outside of class time may include online assignments.

Course Description
This course is a calculus-based physics course intended for students pursuing further studies in engineering, physics, or other physical sciences. Topics covered in this course include mechanical waves, sound, optics, electromagnetism, DC and AC circuits, and an introduction to quantum physics. This course includes a weekly lab.
Course Content

Mechanical Waves and Sound

  • traveling waves
  • superposition principle and interference
  • standing waves
  • Doppler effect

Electromagnetic (EM) Waves

  • properties of EM waves
  • index of refraction and speed of light
  • polarization

Geometric Optics

  • reflection, refraction, and Snell’s law
  • total internal reflection
  • ray tracing
  • plane mirrors and thin lenses

Wave Optics

  • interference and diffraction
  • interferometers
  • thin films
  • double slit interference
  • single slit diffraction
  • diffraction gratings

Electromagnetism

  • electric charge
  • Coulomb’s law
  • electric fields and electric force
  • electric flux and Gauss’ law
  • electric potential and electric potential energy
  • magnetic fields and magnetic force
  • Biot-Savart law
  • Ampere’s law
  • electromagnetic induction (Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law)
  • capacitance and inductance
  • displacement current and the Ampere-Maxwell law
  • introduction to Maxwell’s equations

DC Circuits

  • resistors, capacitors, and inductors
  • Ohm’s law
  • Kirchhoff’s laws
  • RC and RL circuits

AC Circuits

  • reactance and impedance
  • phasor diagrams
  • AC single component circuits
  • AC RLC series circuits

Quantum Physics

  • wave-particle duality
  • photons
  • matter waves and de Broglie wavelength

Lab Experiments (may include)

  • standing waves
  • the spectrometer
  • thin lenses
  • wave optics
  • electric charge
  • moving charge in a magnetic field
  • electromagnetic induction
  • electric circuits and resistance
  • electric circuits and capacitance
  • RC circuits
  • AC circuits
  • the hydrogen atom
Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, successful students will be able to:

  • use the mathematical equation for a traveling wave to determine the wave speed and direction of the wave’s propagation;
  • describe the Doppler effect and calculate the frequency or wavelength of sound heard by an observer due to the motion the source or observer;
  • apply the principle of superposition to solve problems involving the interference of mechanical waves (for example, standing waves);
  • solve problems that involve reflection, refraction, and total internal reflection of light;
  • determine the characteristics of an image formed by a system of converging and diverging lenses by applying the thin lens equation or by using ray tracing;
  • solve problems that involve interference of light (for example, interferometers, thin films, single-slits, double-slits, and diffraction gratings);
  • describe and sketch the interference pattern produced by a “real” double-slit (including the effects of double-slit interference and single slit diffraction);
  • calculate the electric field from continuous charge distributions in geometries such as: along the vertical axis of a ring or disc of charge, at the center of an arc or circle of charge, a finite line of charge, an infinite line of charge, and an infinite sheet of charge;
  • apply Gauss’ law to determine the magnitude of the electric field in problems that have spherical, cylindrical, or planar symmetry;
  • determine the magnitude and direction of the electric field from the electric potential and the electric force from the electric potential energy;
  • solve problems that involve electric and magnetic forces acting on charged particles (for example, the Hall effect);
  • calculate the net force and net torque on a current loop placed in a magnetic field;
  • apply the Biot-Savart law to determine the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field in geometries such as: a long current carrying wire, at the centre of a circular arc of current, or at any point along the central axis of a current carrying circular loop;
  • apply Ampere’s law to determine the magnetic field from a current-carrying wire or current-carrying sheet;
  • apply Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law to solve problems that involve electromagnetic induction;
  • explain the behavior and function of resistors, capacitors, and inductors in DC and AC circuits;
  • apply Kirchoff’s laws to analyze single-loop and multi-loop circuits that contain one or more voltage sources and resistors, capacitors, and inductors;
  • determine the currents and potential differences at all points in RC and RL circuits as a function of time;
  • determine the current as a function of time in AC circuits where the load is purely resistive, capacitive, or inductive;
  • interpret a phasor diagram used to represent the time varying emf, potential differences, and currents in a series AC RLC circuit;
  • define and calculate the impedance and phase constant in a series AC RLC circuit;
  • determine the current and potential difference across each element as a function of time in a series AC RLC circuit;
  • explain the motivation behind Maxwell's correction to Ampere's law;
  • qualitatively explain how Maxwell's equations leads to electromagnetic radiation;
  • state the relationships between momentum, energy, frequency, and wavelength for a photon;
  • define and calculate the de Broglie wavelength of a massive particle;
  • state and discuss the precision and accuracy of measurements;
  • determine the uncertainty on a quantity calculated from measured values by propagating uncertainty through a calculation;
  • present data using computer generated plots (including error bars when applicable), and determine physical quantities using linear and non-linear regressions;
  • discuss the outcome of an experiment in order to provide appropriate context for the results;
  • communicate details of an experiment (for example, the objective, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion) in a written report.
Means of Assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Quizzes and Assignments       10-30%
Tests (minimum of two) 20-40%
Lab Reports and Quizzes 20%
Final Exam    25-40%
Total 100%
Textbook Materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

Sanny and Long, Open Stax, University Physics (current edition)

Douglas College, PHYS 1210 Laboratory Experiment Manual (current edition)

Prerequisites
Corequisites

MATH 1220 must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course.