Syllabus

Physics 130 -- Electricity and Magnetism -- Spring 2026

Instructor Tom Moses, Office: D116 SMC, ext. 7341, tmoses@knox.edu

Class Meetings  MTuThF 5th period, D108 SMC.

Text  Douglas C. Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th ed. (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 2008).  ISBN: 978-0-13-227559-0

Course Website

http://course.knox.edu/physics130/

Homework  Homework problem sets, adapted from Giancoli's text, will be available on-line at the course website.  Our physics software displays the problems, with your own individually-customized random numerical parameters, provides hints if requested, and gives instant feedback by telling you when your answer is correct.  For full credit, homework sets are due by 8:00 am on the due day.  Generally, homework problems can be completed up to one week after the due date for half-credit.

Honor Code, Internet Solutions, and AI (Artificial Intelligence Software)

You are expected to abide by the Knox College Honor Code.

You may work together in groups to discuss and solve problems related to the homework problems and lab reports.  In writing up your lab reports and calculating final solutions on the problem sets, each person must do his or her own work. The use of online homework aids or solution manuals is prohibited. Duplicate lab reports are not allowed, even by lab partners.  You may share data with your lab partner only if both of you were present in the lab together collecting the data. You many not share any text written as part of your lab report.

The use of online homework aids and solution manuals is prohibited.

You additionally are not allowed to use AI (for example, chatGPT) to seek solutions to point bearing work (homework problems, lab reports, quizzes, and exams).  Doing so is a violation of the Honor Code as you are presenting work that is not yours for credit.

Additionally, while AI might effectively solve some of the problems we’ll encounter, relying on it deprives you of the opportunity to learn the underlying principles of physics. The purpose of problem-solving is to help you learn the process, which often involves working through challenges and making mistakes and learning from them. Therefore, solutions provided by AI or other internet sources are not appropriate to submit or use.

However, this does not mean that you can never use AI in relation to the class. You may use AI to clarify content and assist with understanding (but not for homework problems, lab reports, quizzes, and exams). Always keep in mind, though, that AI frequently makes errors in physics, particularly with mathematics, so use it cautiously and critically. It is a poor substitute for speaking to your professor!

As always, if you are unsure if something is allowed, please ask!


Attendance and Make-Up Policy

 Class attendance is required, and unexcused absences may trigger deductions from the course average.  Up to 3 absences can be excused, by reporting the absence and the reason for it before the beginning of class.  Only students with excused absences are allowed to make up a missed quiz or exam.

Labs  Laboratory sessions will be held every Wednesday in D105 (across the hall from the classroom).

Lab instructor  Alex Fluegel, jfluegel@knox.edu

Exams  There will be two mid-term exams and a comprehensive final exam, as well as periodic small quizzes.

            Exam 1                        Tuesday, April 22

            Exam 2                        Tuesday, May 13

            Final exam      

             

Grade Weighting        

Homework       

12%

Labs    

15%

Quizzes    

8%

Mid-term exams    

17.5%  each

Final    

30%

                                            

Late Policy  Late homework counts half credit for the first week after the due date.  As usual in science courses, it is absolutely vital not to fall behind in the homework.

Attendance Policy  Class attendance is required, and a penalty will be assessed for unexcused absences or repeated tardiness.

Course Description

     This course concerns the phenomena of electricity and magnetism.  We will find that electrical and magnetic forces constitute a basic kind of interaction between bodies, somewhat akin to the gravitational force.  Electrical forces are the most important forces in everyday life, accounting for friction, the contact force exerted by surfaces, and the tension force holding a solid object (like you) together, as well as all the changes in molecular structure studied in chemistry.  The description of electrical phenomena is simplified by the concept of a force field called the electric field, envisioned as a region of influence surrounding an electric charge.  The field concept, one of the great creative leaps in the history of ideas, is basic to our modern understanding of nature.  We will see that electric and magnetic phenomena are related, so much so that one may in fact speak of the electromagnetic field.  It turns out that light is essentially a propagating wave of the electromagnetic field--your personal electromagnetic wave detectors are reading these words now.  In the last week or so of the course, we will shift our attention to a new topic--fluids, an area of physics that is often unintuitive and full of interesting surprises.

     Throughout the course, we will concentrate on developing two kinds of skills: (1) a qualitative, intuitive understanding of physical phenomena, and (2) quantitative reasoning and problem solving.  Problem solving is an important part of the course, and it is certainly one of my goals to convince you that thinking hard about a puzzle in physics can be a lot of fun.  The laboratory component (Tuesdays) is another important part of the course, allowing for some hands-on experience (and tinkering) with circuits, magnets, and fluid systems.

     A brief word about coming attractions in the physics sequence:  Modern Physics (Physics 205) completes the introductory tour of physics with Einstein's special theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and atomic and nuclear physics.  Introduction to Research (Physics 241) introduces experiment design and uncertainty analysis, along with practical (and fun) topics like machining, electronics construction, and computer interfacing.  Classical Dynamics (Physics 312) combines a theoretical approach with practical problem solving and computer modeling of simple and complex systems in motion.

Physics 130 -- Approximate Calendar

Week   Chapter           Topic                                                                          

  1-2     21                    Electric charge and electric field

  3        22                    Gauss' law

  3-4     23                    Electric potential

     Exam 1

  5        24                    Capacitance

  6        25, 26              Electric currents and resistance, DC Circuits

  7        27, 28              Magnetism, Sources of magnetic field

     Exam 2

  8-9     28, 29              Sources of magnetic field, magnetic induction

  9-10   13                    Fluids