Mr. Rogers' Syllabus for AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism (With IB Physics Topics)

In a word: magic. The world of E&M is the closest thing to magic a human can experience (without being a wizard). It is a hidden world which lights the darkness, enables communication over great distance, and heats, or cools on demand. It is a world which is only accessible through the concepts of physics using the tools of mathematics and calculus.

This is a calculus based, college level, physics class which covers electricity and magnetism for the American College Board AP Physics C E&M. Students passing this test may receive college credit. In addition, this class ends a two year IB Physics course. Again students will take an IB test which will count toward their IB diploma and can result in college credit.

The Psychology of Physics Problem Solving

A teacher can guide students through a complex physics problem merely by asking questions. By learning to ask questions of yourself, you can gain the same level of problem solving skill without having a teacher present. It's called metacognition and is a skill you will acquire.

 

Powerful physics problem solvers also frequently use a type of free association. By learning to associate small hints with a corresponding physics principle, they can often visualize an equation for a problem even before they have fully read it.  Again it's a skill that can be learned.

TextBook : Mr. Rogers will provide the following books:

• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 6 edition (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0534408427
•  

How to Prepare for the AP Physics C (Paperback)
by Robert A. Pelcovits, Joshua D. Farkas

Web Page Resources Provided by Mr. (name omitted)

All of the following are maintained by Mr. Rogers and can be reached via links from his teacher homepage.

1. Objectives: The daily objectives used in class along with homework assignments are all available online
2. Practice Tests: Self scoring online practice tests complete with explanations of the answers are available for each unit. In addition practice test questions without answers are also available online. You should have no surprises when you take tests.
3. Study Guides: Study guides are available online for each unit. These include the equations you must learn, problem solving tips, important concepts, vocabulary lists, and example problems to help you succeed on tests.
4. Movie Physics: Mr. Rogers maintains a web site with all kinds of movie physics information to assist you in your enrichment assignments.

Physics Software

Interactive physics software will be available in the physics classroom for conducting simulations and confirming solutions to problems

Materials for Class Provided by the Student

1. A USB thumb drive or other storage media for maintaining your electronic portfolio of physics assignments.We will attempt to be as close to a paperless classroom as possible.
2. A bound composition book for recording raw data and observations during physics investigations
3. A set of dry erase markers. You will frequently be working problems in class on a white board.
4. A graphing calculator
5. Cracking the AP Physics B and C Exams, 2006-2007 Edition (College Test Prep) (Paperback)
   by Princeton Review , $12.35 from Amazon.com, can generally also be purchased locally. Note: this book is the text for IB physics topics.

Grading: (For details see Mr. Rogers' Syllabus - Information Common to All Classes.) Tests will be the single largest item and  will be written as close to AP exam standards as possible. Course work will generally be finished in the third quarter leaving the rest of the year for review and various physics investigations (labs). The first semester exam will be taken directly from old AP tests. The exam grade will give you an indication of your standing on the future AP exam in enough time to take corrective action if needed. The fourth quarter grade will consist primarily of practice AP test grades. Generally, there is a high correlation between the practice exams and your grade on the AP test.

Physics Investigations - Labs:  We will be spending about 20% of our instructional time on various forms of practical activities.  These include formal lab write ups, mini-labs (informal write ups), computer simulation labs (interactive physics), and a few after school labs. Many E&M investigations will be conducted with computerized data collection using a wide range of Vernier Lab equipment. Other labs will use multimeters, power supplies, bread boards, E-field meters, oscilloscopes, and various forms of microwave equipment. We will measure the ratio of charge to mass of an electron and perform the Milliken experiment.

We will regularly use statistical tools like regression analysis and various forms of error analysis to help evaluate experimental data. Having taken AP Statistics or taking it concurrently will be helpful but is not required. Mr. Rogers will assist those who are unfamiliar with these techniques.

All physics investigation raw data and observations will be recorded in a bound composition notebook which will be periodically checked. Write ups will be maintained in an electronic portfolio (computer folder) and be submitted via the school's computer network.

Enrichment Assignment: You cannot master physics if you only think about it in the classroom. To encourage physics thinking in everyday life, once per quarter you are to review a Hollywood movie scene for physics content. The review will contain the following:

1. The movie's title and main stars.
2. A summary of the scene (about one good paragraph)
3. A summary of the scene's physics (about one good paragraph)
4. At least one calculation related to the scene's physics

To analyze movies you will have estimate many of the parameters used in your calculation, often based on the size of objects in the movie. Estimating is a real world skill which is often required for major engineering projects.

The analysis is to be submitted via the school's computer network as a computer file one week before the end of each quarter and will count as a lab grade. The file is to be labeled with the movie name and your name and can be either be an a Microsoft Word or Excel file.

Class Work

You cannot master physics by watching Mr. Rogers work problems, hence, you will be going to the front of the classroom and working problems on the white board in groups of 2 on a regular basis. Guided practice of this type is a powerful learning opportunity. In this class you will think physics, talk physics, write physics, and yes at times even help teach physics to your fellow classmates.

Mr. Rogers' AP Physics C: E&M Objectives