Overview

Physics 202 is a junior, non-calculus course that provides an introduction to magnetism, electromagnetic waves, geometrical and physical optics, and basic quantum theory. Physics 200 combined with either Physics 201 or Physics 202 gives six credits of introductory physics able to be matched to offerings at other institutions.

Outline

Theory Section

Experimental Section (subject to revision)

Evaluation

To receive credit for PHYS 202, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. You must also get a total lab mark of at least a 50 percent to pass the course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Giancoli, Douglas C., 2004. Physics, 6th. ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Other materials

The course materials include a study guide, a student manual, workbooks, a lab guide, and Graphical Analysis software. A detailed lab manual is supplied with the laboratory package.

The laboratory package is borrowed at no cost to students. A PC-compatible home computer is required and must be supplied by the student or used at an Athabasca University Learning Centre.

In this course students get practical laboratory experience measuring and relating to the following basic physical parameters: vector magnetic field, voltage, resistance. And derived quantities including: polarization, current, wavelength.

Special Course Features

A compulsory lab component requires that students perform labs in a place of their choice using materials borrowed from Athabasca University Library, and some household items. Lab evaluation is based on written reports about the experiments performed. Please go to the physics lab schedule page for more information and an important notice regarding the Physics Lab Tutorial Week.