Core Course Topics
Electric charge, field, force, and potential
Capacitance and dielectrics
Basic electrical circuits, involving resistors, capacitors, inductors, and EMFs
Magnetic fields and forces
Electromagnetic Induction
Maxwell's Equations
Electromagnetic Waves
Optical systems, including diffraction, refraction, and image formation.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate the ability to solve complex physics problems by breaking them down into smaller constituents.
Apply electrostatic principles to find the electric field, electric potential, and forces produced by charge distributions.
Demonstrate the working principles of capacitors.
Apply electrostatic concepts to describe the motion of charged particles in conductors.
Analyze resistive circuits to determine equivalent resistance, current, and power dissipation.
Use Ampere's Law and the Biot-Savart Law to determine magnetic fields.
Calculate the magnetic forces on moving charged particles.
Apply Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law to determine the magnitude and direction of induced emf and current.
Analyze circuits involving resistors, capacitors, inductors, and AC EMF sources.
Determine the properties of electromagnetic waves, including intensity, polarization, and how they are derived from Maxwell's Equations.
Describe diffraction, interference, and refraction using the wave properties of light.
Determine the characteristics of images formed in optical systems involving lenses and mirrors.
Apply skills and models learned in the course to hands-on laboratory experiments.
Apply teamwork skills in conducting laboratory experiments, data interpretation, and communicating results.