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Course Syllabus

PHYS 2020 College Physics II

  • Division: Natural Science and Math
  • Department: Physics
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 4; Lecture: 4; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: PHYS 2010
  • Corequisites: PHYS 2025
  • Semesters Offered: Spring
  • Semester Approved: Fall 2023
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2029
  • End Semester: Summer 2029
  • Optimum Class Size: 18
  • Maximum Class Size: 24

Course Description

PHYS 2020 is the second semester of a two-semester sequence in algebra/trigonometry-based general physics. The course is designed for students majoring in pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, and other biological sciences. The topics covered include vibrations and waves, sound, an introduction to electricity, magnetism, circuits, optics, and relativity. Concurrent registration for the laboratory course PHYS 2025 is required.

Justification

This course is a necessary component of the curriculum for pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, and other biological science majors. This course is designed to be transferable to other higher education institutions in Utah which offer a similar course with the same course number.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Upon successful completion of this course students will understand be able to apply important scientific laws and principles, such as Coulomb's Law, Snell's Law, etc..
  2. Students will understand and emulate the scientific approach to gaining knowledge.
  3. Students will be able to solve physics problems and apply them in scenarios from daily life and other fields of study.
  4. Students will recognize and make connections between Physics and other fields such as medicine and Biology.

Course Content

The course will cover the following topics:Vibrations and WavesSoundElectric Forces and FieldsElectric Energy and CapacitanceCurrent and ResistanceDC/AC CircuitsMagnetismFaraday's Law and InductanceElectromagnetic WavesOpticsInterference, Diffraction, Polarization of LightOptical InstrumentsRelativityQuantum MechanicsThe fundamental aspects of physical laws will be a major focus, but the development and history of our understanding of these laws will also be emphasized.