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Announcements |
An answer key for the midterm is posted.
Assignments Announcement, November 3, 2008:
Last chances: Ch. 1 and 2 problems will not be accepted for any
credit after Monday, November 10.
Ch. 3 and 4 problems will not be accepted for any
credit after Monday, November 17.
Seventh Problem Assignment, due Monday, November 10:
Ch. 5 #1, 5, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25, 29, 33, 34, 39, 48
Eighth Problem Assignment, due Monday, November 17:
Ch. 6 #1, 7, 10, 12, 17, 25, 26
Ch. 7 #1, 7, 8, 11, 20, 49
Sixth Problem Assignment, due Monday Oct. 13:
Ch. 4 #15, 19, 26, 29, 32, 33 (include answer to question
in Comment), 36
Second Problem Assignment, due Monday Sept. 15:
Ch. 1 #44, 46, 47, 48
Ch. 2 #20, 21, 25, 31, 32, 33 (If 32 and 33 don't give
the same expression four ways, find your mistake(s),
or possibly missing simplifications.)
Third Problem Assignment, due Monday Sept. 22:
Ch. 1 #13c, 15, 16, 18, 25
Ch. 2 #38, 40, 42, 43, 47a, 50 (What would the answer be
if you were given Ex = 0, Ey = a y, Ez = 0? What makes a
difference?)
Fourth Problem Assignment, due Monday Sept. 29:
Do what Ch. 1 #37 asks, if you haven't already, but not
to turn in. That is, work out FOR YOURSELF rhat etc. in
terms of xhat etc. AND vice versa. You need to have
this experience of doing it yourself so that, if necessary,
you could re-obtain these formulas when the references
aren't around.
To turn in, do:
Ch. 1 #34, 40, 42, 60, 61, 62
Ch. 3 #1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 18, 22
Communication:
The primary means of communication in this course will be electronic.
For that reason, every person enrolled in the class must contact me by e-mail
as soon as possible. If you encounter difficulty doing this, contact me some
other way. See the Syllabus for more
information.
Getting Started: As soon as possible, you need to:
(1) begin exploring the web pages of this course, and
(2) get your own personal copy of the Griffiths textbook.
Feedback:
Let me know if you have any difficulty with anything. The only way for things
to improve is for you to give me some feedback.
1st Assignment, due Thursday August 28:
1. Provide information concerning electronic communication. Access the
course web pages; email to the professor the following: your email address,
and any limitations on your internet or email access (for instance, if
only available at school).
2. Identify your recent math and physics credits.
3. Include EITHER: a couple of sentences summarizing what went on
during the TTVN hour; OR the answer to this question about
Convocation: faculty there are in academic gowns; what colors
of gowns were present there? (Not what colors of trim or
of hoods.)
Whether you were at TTVN or Convocation, a bonus point
for a valid answer to this question (which attending
Convocation would not answer): what does gown color (not trim
color or hood color) indicate?
Homework is due in my office by 5 PM on the due date.
Delivery: I offer two options.
For scanning or faxing options, PLEASE USE ONLY ONE SIDE
of the paper. Scanners
(including fax) see through paper surprisingly well. Even if you
don't use such a method for submitting, it will be used for returning.
1) Best option: Put your work into files (by scanning
or otherwise) and email the files as attachments.
a) Most useful but probably least practical type (for students):
Write up your answers using a TeX document formatting language,
and email me a .tex file as an attachment.
(For those who don't know about it, TeX is NOT a word processing
program. You would use some other word processor to create the file;
there are a few word processors which will create TeX commands for
you, but most won't. Then a TeX program converts the file into a
(mathematical) formatted document.)
The ability to create TeX (usually LaTeX) files will be
useful, or even necessary, for anyone who will need to publish
scientific or mathematical results. However, becoming capable
enough with LaTeX to do this homework will probably take time that
you would be much better off using for course learning, and the
time needed to produce a LaTeX file would be IN ADDITION to the
time spent coming up with the answers.
(b) The .pdf file type is fine, if your software will produce it.
(c) The .jpg or .jpeg file type is a format that has worked well
with one qualification: scanner default settings for .jpg combined
with display or print default settings produce images that are
generally MUCH too big. Set your scanner to produce .jpg images
at 40% size, and not only they will come out a better size but
the files will be MUCH smaller.
(d) Trying to use Word files has the potential problem
that different editions of the equation editor in Word
have produced incompatible results. (For instance, typing a
dot over a symbol to indicate time derivative gave a result on
my screen of an ampersand (&) over the symbol, producing
something unreadable.) If Word is your preference, send a
sample using all the symbols you might want. If it reads correctly
on my screens, then that mode will be OK; if not, you need to find
something that does work.
2) Fax your work to my office, 361-593-4011, or if that number doesn't work, to our department office, 361-593-2184. Promptly after faxing, email me that you have done so, and how many pages you have sent. This is to make sure that I check that they arrived in usable condition, so that another attempt could be made if necessary.
Format: On problem assignments, please put your name and a page number on each page you use, preferably just above the top of your work; put the total page count for any group of pages on the first page of that group. (You need not proceed in order; you may submit your work in several groups of pages, numbered independently, if convenient.) This rule is to ensure no pages are overlooked by mistake.
On problem assignments, you may (and are encouraged to) work with each other; once they are in agreement on a correct response to an assigned problem, a group should submit a single answer page or set of pages, with all names shown on each page, and each will receive the appropriate score. (Of course, if you disagree with the rest of the group, you should make sure your name is on only whatever parts you do agree on, and you should submit a separate answer for the disagreement. If the same name appears on papers earning different scores for the same parts, my rule is that the lower score applies.)
Understand all Ch. 1 problems as soon as you reasonably can, starting
with the ones in this practice list:
Recommended Practice, not to hand in: Ch. 1 # 2-5, 13, 16, 25, 34,
37, 40, 42, 44, 46-48, 50, 60, 62. Actually, doing all Ch. 1
problems would be good practice, and some will be assigned.
Some general warnings: Pay attention to the differences among
differently-, but similarly-, labeled quantities, and to different
quantities in different formulas that nevertheless carry the same
label. (Primary example, r's.)
Pay attention to the concepts first, NOT the formulas. If the
concepts are clear to you, deciphering the formulas should be
straightforward. (If it isn't, then probably you don't really understand
the concept.) But if the concept is not clear, results from the formulas
will be worse, probably, even if the formula seems clear enough.
Before claiming a result "by symmetry", check that the setup really is
sufficiently symmetric; for instance, a current-carrying wire may be
placed symmetrically but the current may be not symmetric.
Late work will generally receive some credit until either a final deadline is posted or the specific problem answer is discussed in class, whichever is first. Questions about problems may be asked by email or on TTVN even before the due date; clarification responses, at least, will usually be given to such questions.
First Problem Assignment:
For Monday, Sept. 8, turn in:
Ch. 1 #6 (your approach for the second part should relate
to the first part), 7, 10, 30;
Ch. 2 #1 (without numerical steps), 2 (note z>>d is NOT d=0),
7 (using only Sec. 2.1 method, NOT Sec. 2.2 method), 9,
10 (doing this by integrating is the hard way), 14, 18.
Format for this page adapted with permission from pages
constructed by Dr. Lionel D. Hewett for his course
Modern
Physics 1.