Welcome to the Home Page for Physics 161

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

In this second semester of the introductory physics sequence, we will talk about Thermodynamics [temperature, heat, and molecular motion] and its physical laws, the First, Second (and Third) Laws of Thermodynamics;
and also Electricity and Magnetism [charge, electricity, current, magnets and magnetic fields, electric generators, and electric waves] and its physical laws, usually referred to as Maxwell's equations.
These laws have been derived through thousands of experiments over approximately the last three hundred years, which involve the efforts of very many experimenters. It is therefore useful to keep in mind the experimental approaches as we study the theories which resulted!

In the text, the description of Thermodynamics is contained in Chapters 19-21, while Electricity and Magnetism begins in Chapter 22, and and continues through Chapter 33 or 34.

1. We will follow the weekly Syllabus. Please click here to read it online. However, your input, in terms of questions and comments, and your work with problems and exams, will help determine our pace, so that the online syllabus will be updated when needed.

   The detailed General Introduction for the Course is at this link, which you should definitely also read. [It constitutes the "standard" introductory paperwork that one "hands out" at the beginning of class each semester.]
   The Introduction describes more details about the text, the course Grading Policy, the homework and examinations, and contains contact information for myself and for the graders.

2. Assigned Homework will be very important in your process of learning the material being discussed. Therefore, it will count 25% of your final course grade.
   Homework will be due at almost every class period.
   Roughly 2/3 of the required homework will be done, and graded, on the web, through the national program called Webassign. These will be due at 1 A.M. following the appropriate class meeting.

   This URL labels a webpage with more detailed information about this program and how to use Webassign. You may click here for a direct link to their website; however, you should set up your own bookmarks to get there more quickly and reliably.

   I will also assign problems to be done directly on paper, and turned in at the beginning of classtime. They will often be slightly more involved than those done on WebAssign.
   Lastly, I will assign optional Bonus Problems, which are rather more interesting, and often rather more difficult. However, they which may be used to help out one's other HW grades.

   More comments about homework problems are available at the summary page that outlines Homework Policy relevant both to these problems and general grading procedures for homework, and also more comments concerning Bonus Problems.

   Just below are direct links to the listings of homework assignments, divided into four sets.

   1. homework sets I-X, preparing for Exam 1;
   2. homework sets XI-XXIII, preparing for Exam 2;
   3. homework sets XXIV - XXXV, preparing for the Third Exam;
   4. homework sets XXXVI - XLI, preparing for the Final Exam.
   Links to the solutions I create are provided on the homework assignment pages.

3. There will be three exams during the semester. The lowest grade, from these 3 exams, will be dropped from the final accounting. There will also be a required Final Exam, which will review (only) electricity and magnetism.
   Please see the Syllabus for details about time. More details about exam policies are found in the course introduction already mentioned above.

   Copies of exams from some years ago will be placed here as they become relevant.
   One for Exam 1, on Thermodynamics, is already in place below:

   1. an older one for Exam 1,
   2. I have put up two older, practice exams for electrostatics,i.e., Exam 2:
      This first one does not include capacitance, although it will be covered on our exam this year;
      and a second one, which does include problems on capacitors and capacitance.
      
   3. Older exam questions, as study for Exam 3
      
   4. an older final Exam, from 2000.

4. It is very advantageous for students in this class to also register for one or both of the two classes associated with this one, namely the Recitation/Problem Section, Phys. 168, and one of the Laboratory Sections, Phys. 161L. Each of these courses is 1 Credit Hour.
   Slightly more details are given in the Introduction.

   
   

5. Sometimes I will add special links, below, to new and exciting things
   happening in Physics or Astronomy that may be found on international web pages,
   • and (only occasionally), also events concerning these subjects that are happening here in Albuquerque:

6.    If you are a qualified person with disabilities who might need appropriate academic adjustments, please communicate with me as soon as possible so that we may make appropriate arrangements to meet your needs in a timely manner. Frequently, we will need to coordinate accommodating activities with other offices on campus.

Links to Exciting Physics News

Updated regularly.
Interesting graphical images from the news items are available at this index site.

• New tabletop-sized laser system makes positrons while you wait!
• Everything you ever wanted to know about Modern Particle Physics, with guided tours, etc.
• New experimental measurements: 1/r³ Electrical force in Physical Review Letters
  This force is between a very long line charge and a neutral atom!
• Kent Ridge High School, in Washington State
  has students who have collected, and/or created, several very interesting pages concerning the physics of everyday phenomena, such as
  • breakdancing, skydiving, etc.,
• An index for pictures of famous physicists is at the History of Physics page , run by the American Institute of Physics.

• Astronomy Picture of the day
  • Index to the complete list of their pictures.
• An interesting and detailed (radiowave) photograph of the center of our galaxy.
• The Hubble Heritage Program,
  with galleries of photo's from Hubble---new ones monthly
  • A collage, and link-index, of Hubble's pictures of Saturn
• COBE satellite data on cosmic microwave background
• footstep on the moon
• Albert Einstein picture and many links to his thought
• The strongest magnetic field ever observed, on a neutron star about 20,000 light-years from here.