What is the nature of light? In this course, we will study a wide range of texts beginning with the work of William Gilbert, Charles Coulomb, and Andre-Marie Ampere on electricity and magnetism, and culminating with the electromagnetic theory of light, as developed in the 19th century by Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell. Weekly laboratory sessions complement the classroom discussions.

Each week, I will list below (i) what book chapter(s) you must read, (2) which youtube lecture(s) you must watch, (3) what homework problem(s) you must complete and (4) what lab exercises we will do.
Week 15 (Dec. 7 - 11): Finals week
  • Comprehensive Final Exam Wed. Dec. 9. 8:00 - 9:45. Download the test from the mywlc page for PHY 152/202.
  • Solutions to HW problems and the final quiz (14) are available by clicking on the HW assignments below.
  • Have a Blessed Christmas! I've enjoyed our time together the semester, and I hope to see you again soon!

Week 14 (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4): Maxwell's Electromagnetic Theory of Light
  • James Clerk Maxwell used Faraday's concept of electro-magnetic induction and developed it into what is now known as the electro-magnetic theory of light. According to this theory, light is a traveling wave of electric and magnetic fields.
  • Read: ASG v3 Chap. 30 (Action-at-a-distance)
  • No regular lectures this week; but I will hold zoom office hours (ZID 949 8871 1323) during the ordinary class times (MWF 10:30 - 11:15). Password: 388888
  • Watch: the posted YouTube lectures on Chapter 30 and Chap. 31 (for the lab exercise).
  • HW: Ex. 30.1 (Forces and Fields), Ex. 30.3 (Existence of Fields), PHY 202 students: Ex. 30.2 (Foucault and the Speed of Light)
  • Lab: Ex. 31.6. Watch the youtube lecture on my playlist for some detailed instructions on how to carry out the analysis.
  • Quiz: The quiz on Friday will cover Chap. 25 and Chap. 30. Here are the solutions.

Week 13 (Nov. 23 - 25): Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction
  • The electromagnetic theory of light unites the previous work on electricity, magnetism and light. This week, we will explore the amazing work of Michael Faraday, a book-binder's apprentice who became one of the most significant figures in 19th century science.
  • Read: ASG v3 Chap. 25
  • Watch: the posted YouTube lectures
  • Wed. Nov. 25 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: %3Vb6kd& PHY 202 students will benefit from watching this!
  • HW: Ex. 25.1 (Electromotive force and ohm's law), Ex. 25.4 (Lenz's law), PHY 202: Ex. 25.3 (Electromotive force and Faraday's law)
  • Lab: None
  • Quiz: None

Week 12 (Nov. 16 - 20): John Tyndall, polarization, and the wave theory of light
  • This week, we will explore how the wave theory can explain the polarization of light by assuming that light consists of transverse—rather than longitudinal—waves.
  • Read: ASG v3 Chap. 22, 23, 24
  • Watch: the posted YouTube lectures
  • Wed. Nov. 18 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: P+$uP052
  • HW: Ex. 22.1 (brewster's angle and refractive index), 23.1 (birefringence, quarter wave plates, and circular polarization), 24.1 (Blood-moon)
  • Lab: Ex. 25.2 (Magneto-electric induction)
  • Quiz: 12 on Friday

Week 11 (Nov. 9 - 13): Newton's particle theory of light and Young's experiments
  • This week, we will explore Newton's particle theory of light and also Young's Experiments
  • Read: ASG v3 Chap. 18, 20, & 21.
  • Watch: the posted Youtube videos
  • HW: Ex. 18.3 (Natural theology essay), Ex. 21.1 (Soap film interference), Ex. 21.2 (Optical path length).
  • Lab: Ex. 23.2 (Light rotation lab), Ex. 24.2 (Tyndall scattering lab) and Ex 24.3 (Rayleigh scattering lab).
  • Wed. Nov. 11 zoom cloud recording Passcode: @iC42%Qc
  • Quiz 11 on Friday

Week 10 (Nov. 2 - 6): The Wave Theory of Light
  • This week, we will explore how Huygens' wave theory of light can account for reflection and refraction of light.
  • Read: ASG v3 Chap. 15, 16 and 17
  • Watch: the posted YouTube lectures for Chap. 15, 16 and 17.
  • Thurs. Nov. 5 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: %H7Z3wPF
  • HW: Ex. 16.1. PHY 202 students should also do Ex. 16.2.
  • Lab: Ex. 18.4 (Birefringence lab), Ex. 21.3 (air gap interference), and Ex. 22.2 (Brewster's Angle).
  • Quiz 10 on Friday.

Week 9 (Oct. 26 - 30): Huygens' Treatise on Light, continued
  • By Monday: If you have not yet: read Chap. 14. Also, read Chap. 15: Reflection of Light Waves
  • Here is a link to the Wed. Oct. 28 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: r?ptOS&9
  • Friday: quiz 8/9 on Christiaan Huygens, up to Chap. 14. Be sure to review the in-class lectures from last Friday and this week.
  • HW: Ex. 14.1, 14.2.
  • Lab: Ex. 20.2 (Measuring Hair Diameter Laboratory)

Week 8 (Oct. 19 - 23): Huygens' Treatise on Light
  • Monday: Fall break (no classes)
  • By Wednesday: read Chap. 13: The Wave Theory of Light and watch the youtube lectures associated with Chap. 13.
  • Here is a link to the Wed. Oct. 21 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: 9QNKM!9+
  • By Thursday: Read Chap. 14: Huygens' Principle
  • Friday: There will be no quiz on Friday. Instead, I conduct a zoom lecture for the entire class in which I describe Huygens' Principle. Be sure to attend via zoom.
  • Here is a link to the Fri. Oct. 23 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: Sws3^IC0
  • HW: EX 13.1 (Descartes' method of measuring the speed of light)
  • Lab: finish Building a Keplerian Telescope. Note: I have posted a youtube video to the playlist that explains how to approach the final four sections of this lab experiment.

Week 7 (Oct. 12 - 17): Newton's Optics
  • By Monday: read ASG Chap. 12. Geometric Optics.
  • Here is a link to the Mon. Oct. 12 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: v9OW+4UD
  • By Wednesday: watch the first three youtube videos pertaining to Chap. 12.
  • Here is a link to the Wed. Oct. 14 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: &MR$e0r7
  • By Thursday: watch the remaining youtube videos pertaining to Chap. 12.
  • Friday: quiz 7.
  • Lab: Building a (Keplerian) Telescope. This is a two-week lab.
  • HW: Ex. 12.5 (Total internal reflection) and 12.6 (Focal length of a spherical mirror).

Week 6 (Oct. 5-9): Herman von Helmholtz on the Conservation of Energy
  • By Monday: read ASG Chap. 9. Start Chap. 10.
  • By Wednesday: read Chap. 10 and 11. Watch the youtube videos on Chaps. 9, 10 and 11.
  • Here is a link to the Wed. Oct. 7 zoom cloud recording. Passcode: Z25y@x$7
  • Friday: quiz 6.
  • Lab: Ex. 12.8 (Reflection) and 12.9 (Refraction)
  • HW: Ex. 9.2, Ex. 10.2. PHY 202 students should do Ex. 10.3.

Week 5 (Sep. 28 - Oct. 2): Andre Marie Ampere on Electric currents and magnetic forces

Week 4 (Sep. 21-25): Hans Christian Oersted and the Dawn of Electro-magnetism.

Week 3 (Sep. 14-18): Charles Coulomb and the Law of electric force!
  • Before class on Wednesday, you should read Chap. 6 of ASG and watch all of the lecture videos on Chap. 6.
  • In Lab this week, we will be doing Ex. 6.4 (Coulomb's Law Experiment).
  • For homework this week, you should complete Ex. 6.2. PHY 202 students should also do Ex. 6.3.
  • Here is a link to the Sept. 17 Zoom cloud recording. Passcode: !9SaXL#W

Week 2 (Sep. 7 - 11): Benjamin Franklin's Experiments and Observations!
  • Before class on Monday, you should watch the remaining two videos from Ch02. That is: Ch02Lect03 and Lect04. You should also read Chap. 3 of ASG and watch Ch03Lect01 - Lect04.
  • Before class on Wednesday, you should read Chap 4 of ASG and watch Ch04Lect01 - Lect06.
  • Before class on Thursday, you should read Chap. 5 and watch Ch05 Lect01.
  • Before class on Friday, you should review for the quiz, which covers through Ch05 of the book and lecture videos.
  • In Lab this week, we will be doing Ex. 4.2 (Capacitance, Charge and Electric Potential).
  • For homework this week, you should complete Ex. 2.1 and Ex 4.1. PHY 202 students should also do Ex. 4.3.

Week 1 (Aug. 31 - Sep. 4): Welcome to physics class!
  • On Monday we will go over the course syllabus and start reading the first chapter together. This week we will be focusing on William Gilbert's book titled On Magnetism.
  • Before class on Wednesday, you should: (i) Read Chapter 1 of A Student's Guide through the Great Physics Texts, Volume 3. Don't worry if you find it to be a bit difficult; my youtube videos on the class playlist will help you out. You should watch the first three youtube lectures on the playlist: Ch01Lect01, Ch01Lect02, and Ch01Lect03.
  • Before class on Thursday, all students (both PHY 152 and 202 ) should watch the remaining two youtube lectures on this chapter: Ch01Lect04 and Ch01Lect05.
  • Before class on Friday, you should do Ex. 1.1 in the Exercises section of the textbook. Your solution should be uploaded to MyWLC before class on Friday. You should also read Chapter 2 of the textbook and watch Ch02Lect01 and Ch02Lect02.
  • On Friday in class, we will have a quiz which covers the material from the first chapter of the book (and the accompanying lectures). Be sure to look over the vocabulary words at the end of the book chapter! I plan to have a few questions on vocabulary on the quiz.
  • In lab this week, we will do the Magnetism Laboratory (Ex. 1.3). You should read the lab exercise before coming to your lab section. Also, you should download and install Logger Pro 3.15 onto your personal computer (see link in page sidebar). This is a very nice software package for doing data analysis.

Since our classroom (S109) accommodates 18 students, and since we have 24 students enrolled in the class, we need to make more economical use of the room. Solution:
  • On Mondays, Dr. Kuehn's lab section will come to lecture room S109 from 10:30 - 10:50 for lab presentations; Dr. Davis's lab section will come from 10:55 - 11:15.
  • On Wednesdays, PHY 152 students will come to lecture room S109 to go through homework problems together.
  • On Thursdays, PHY 202 students will come to lecture room S109 to go through homework problems together.
  • On Fridays, all students will meet to take the weekly quiz and go over the answers.