College Physics 2

Learning objectives

Module 1: Course Introduction

Module 2: Electric Charge and Electric Field

• Define electric charge, and describe how the two types of charge interact.
• Describe the law of conservation of charge.
• Define conductor and insulator, explain the difference, and give examples of each.
• Explain what happens to an electric force as you move farther from the source.
• Calculate the electrostatic force between two charged point forces, such as electrons or protons.
• Compare the electrostatic force to the gravitational attraction for a proton and an electron; for a human and the Earth.
• Describe a force field and calculate the strength of an electric field due to a point charge.
• Calculate the force exerted on a test charge by an electric field.
• Calculate the total force (magnitude and direction) exerted on a test charge from more than one charge
• Describe an electric field diagram of a positive point charge; of a negative point charge with twice the magnitude of the positive charge
• Describe how a water molecule is polar.
• Explain electrostatic screening by a water molecule within a living cell.
• List the three properties of a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium.
• Explain the effect of an electric field on free charges in a conductor.
• Describe the electric field surrounding Earth.
• Explain what happens to an electric field applied to an irregular conductor.
• Describe several real-world applications of the study of electrostatics.

Module 3: Electric Potential and Electric Field

• Explain electron volt and its usage in submicroscopic process.
• Determine electric potential energy given potential difference and amount of charge.
• Define electric potential and electric potential energy. Describe the relationship between potential difference and electrical potential energy.
• Describe the relationship between voltage and electric field.
• Calculate electric field strength given distance and voltage and describe the relationship between voltage and electric field.
• Distinguish between electric potential and electric field.
• Determine the electric potential of a point charge given charge and distance.
• Explain equipotential lines and equipotential surfaces.
• Describe the action of grounding an electrical appliance.
• Describe an electric field diagram of a positive point charge; of a negative point charge with twice the magnitude of positive charge
• Describe the action of a capacitor and define capacitance.
• Explain parallel plate capacitors and their capacitances.
• Determine capacitance given charge and voltage.
• Identify series and parallel parts in the combination of connection of capacitors.
• Calculate the effective capacitance in series and parallel given individual capacitances.
• List some uses of capacitors and express in equation form the energy stored in a capacitor.
• Explain the function of a defibrillator.

Module 4: Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm’s Law

• Define electric current, ampere, and drift velocity and describe the direction of charge flow in conventional current.
• Use drift velocity to calculate current and vice versa.
• Calculate voltages, currents, or resistances with Ohm’s law.
• Describe a simple circuit.
• Use resistivity to calculate the resistance of specified configurations of material.
• Use the thermal coefficient of resistivity to calculate the change of resistance with temperature.
• Calculate the power dissipated by a resistor and power supplied by a power supply.
• Calculate the cost of electricity under various circumstances.
• Explain the differences and similarities between AC and DC current.
• Calculate rms voltage, current, and average power.
• Explain why AC current is used for power transmission.
• Define thermal hazard, shock hazard, and short circuit.
• Explain what effects various levels of current have on the human body.
• Explain the process by which electric signals are transmitted along a neuron.
• Explain the effects myelin sheaths have on signal propagation.
• Explain what the features of an ECG signal indicate.

Module 5: Circuits and DC Instruments

• Calculate the voltage drop of a current across a resistor using Ohm’s law.
• Compare and contrast the way total resistance is calculated for resistors in series and in parallel.
• Explain why total resistance of a parallel circuit is less than the smallest resistance of any of the resistors in that circuit.
• Calculate total resistance of a circuit that contains a mixture of resistors connected in series and in parallel.
• Compare and contrast the voltage and the electromagnetic force of an electric power source.
• Describe what happens to the terminal voltage, current, and power delivered to a load as internal resistance of the voltage source increases (due to aging of batteries, for example).
• Explain a complex circuit using Kirchhoff’s rules, using the conventions for determining the correct signs of various terms.
• Explain why a voltmeter must be connected in parallel with the circuit.
• Calculate the resistance that must be placed in series with a galvanometer to allow it to be used as a voltmeter with a given reading.
• Explain why measuring the voltage or current in a circuit can never be exact.
• Explain why a null measurement device is more accurate than a standard voltmeter or ammeter.
• Explain the importance of the time constant, τ , and calculate the time constant for a given resistance and capacitance.
• Explain why batteries in a flashlight gradually lose power and the light dims over time.
• Describe what happens to a graph of the voltage across a capacitor over time as it charges.
• Explain how a timing circuit works and list some applications.
• Calculate the necessary speed of a strobe flash needed to “stop” the movement of an object over a particular length

Module 6: Magnetism

• Describe how magnetic poles interact with each other.
• Describe the role of magnetic domains in magnetization.
• Explain the significance of the Curie temperature.
• Describe the relationship between electricity and magnetism.
• Define magnetic field and describe the magnetic field lines of various magnetic fields.
• Calculate the magnetic force on a moving charge.
• Describe the effects of a magnetic field on a moving charge.
• Calculate the radius of curvature of the path of a charge that is moving in a magnetic field.
• Calculate the Hall emf across a current-carrying conductor.
• Calculate the magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor.
• Calculate the torque on a current-carrying loop in a magnetic field.
• Calculate current that produces a magnetic field.
• Calculate the force between two parallel conductors.
• Describe some applications of magnetism.

Module 7: Electromagnetic induction, AC circuits, and Electrical Technologies

• Calculate the flux of a uniform magnetic field through a loop of arbitrary orientation.
• Describe methods to produce an electromotive force (emf) with a magnetic field or magnet and a loop of wire.
• Calculate emf, current, and magnetic fields using Faraday’s Law.
• Explain the physical results of Lenz’s Law
• Calculate emf, force, magnetic field, and work due to the motion of an object in a magnetic field.
• Explain the magnitude and direction of an induced eddy current, and the effect this will have on the object it is induced in.
• Describe several applications of magnetic damping.
• Calculate the emf induced in a generator.
• Calculate the peak emf which can be induced in a particular generator system.
• Explain what back emf is and how it is induced.
• Explain how a transformer works.
• Calculate voltage, current, and/or number of turns given the other quantities.
• Explain how various modern safety features in electric circuits work, with an emphasis on how induction is employed.
• Calculate the inductance of an inductor.
• Calculate the energy stored in an inductor.
• Calculate the emf generated in an inductor.
• Calculate the current in an RL circuit after a specified number of characteristic time steps.
• Calculate the characteristic time of an RL circuit.
• Calculate inductive and capacitive reactance.
• Calculate current and/or voltage in simple inductive, capacitive, and resistive circuits.
• Calculate the impedance, phase angle, resonant frequency, power, power factor, voltage, and/or current in a RLC series circuit.
• Explain the significance of the resonant frequency.

Module 8: Electromagnetic Waves

• Describe Maxwell’s equations
• Calculate the maximum strength of the magnetic field in an electromagnetic wave, given the maximum electric field strength.
• Explain why the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave.
• List and explain the different methods by which electromagnetic waves are produced across the spectrum.
• Explain how the energy and amplitude of an electromagnetic wave are related.
• Given its power output and the heating area, calculate the intensity of a microwave oven’s electromagnetic field, as well as its peak electric and magnetic field strengths.
• Describe color perception, color addition, and color subtraction
• Explain how monochromatic light passes through colored filters
• Explain how red, green, and blue light mix to make the colors of the rainbow
• Describe color vision in relation to real-world situations
• Determine the color of each light.
• Explain the color changes when variables are introduced.
• Determine what colors are created through Color Mixing.
• Describe how colors are created. Investigate the effects that can be created with colored lighting.
• Explain how white light is produced.

Module 9: Geometric Optics

• List the ways by which light travels from one source to another location.
• Explain the reflection of light from polished and rough surfaces.
• Determine the index of refraction, given the speed of light in a medium.
• Explain the phenomenon of total internal reflection.
• Describe the workings and uses of fiber optics.
• Explain the reason for the sparkle of diamonds.
• Explain the phenomenon of dispersion and discuss its advantages and disadvantages.
• List the rules for ray tracking for thin lenses.
• Explain the formation of images using the technique of ray tracking.
• Determine the power of a lens given the focal length.
• Explain image formation in a flat mirror.
• Explain with ray diagrams the formation of an image using spherical mirrors.
• Determine focal length and magnification given radius of curvature, the distance of object, and image.

Module 10: Vision and Optical Instruments

• Explain the image formation by the eye and why peripheral images lack detail and color.
• Explain the accommodation of the eye for distant and near vision.
• Identify and discuss common vision defects.
• Explain nearsightedness, farsightedness, and laser vision corrections.
• Explain the simple theory and retinex theory of color vision.
• Describe the working of a telescope.
• Describe different types of microscopes.
• Describe optical aberration.
• Describe the shape and refractive properties of a convex and concave lens.
• Explain how are lenses used to correct vision
• Describe the conditions of nearsightedness and farsightedness.
• Apply the properties of convex and concave lenses to correct vision disorders.
• Describe human vision anomalies.
• Demonstrate a comprehension of the Anatomy of the Human Eye
• Explain the eye as an optical system, including schematic eyes
• Explain the refractive states of the eye and common refractive errors
• Explain how an image is formed by a converging lens using ray diagrams.
• Explain and apply the principles of real and virtual image production including size, brightness, and location as well as be able to draw accurate basic diagrams of lens systems.
• Describe the characteristics and uses of spherical, cylindrical, and toric lenses.

Module 11: Wave Optics

• Explain the wave character of light and identify the changes when light enters a medium.
• Explain the propagation of transverse waves.
• Explain and apply Huygens’s principle.
• Define constructive interference for a double slit and destructive interference for a double slit.
• Explain the pattern obtained from the diffraction grating.
• Determine the single-slit diffraction pattern.
• Describe the Rayleigh criterion.
• Describe the rainbow formation by thin films.
• Explain the meaning of polarization.
• Describe the different types of microscopes.