PHYS 108 -- Physics II

Electricity and Magnetism

Spring term, 2024


PLEASE NOTE that tutorials start the FIRST week of classes: January 9 and 10, 2024



Lectures: 11:00-11:50am Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in HENN 202.
Classes/lectures start on Monday January 8.
Tutorials: Tutorials will start Tuesday January 9, in HEBB 314 Everyone should be registered in one section of the tutorials. I'm at all tutorials, with one of our TA's in each tutorial. All tutorials are in HEBB 314.
T2A: Wednesdays 15:00-16:00
T2B: Tuesdays 12:30-13:30
T2C: Wednesdays 13:00-14:00
Professor: Janis McKenna (janis@physics.ubc.ca) email caveat: I read my email only once or twice during the day and I typically read/answer most email 9pm-11pm. Put "PHYS 108" in your email subject header if you want higher priority.
Teaching Assistants: Our TAs are all graduate students: Ryan Kaufmann, Taylor Swift-LaPointe and Phillip Bement.
(doesn't happen often: all 3 of our TAs took PHYS 108 with me a few years ago. All did extremely well - I hand-picked them for you!)

Taylor: Tutorial T2A, Wed 3pm (tswiftlapointe at eoas.ubc.ca)
Ryan: Tutorial T2B, Tues 12:30pm (rgkauf at phas.ubc.ca)
Phillip Tutorial T2C, Wed 1pm (pbement at phas.ubc.ca)
UBC Calendar entry, timetable, lectures, tutorials, and outline: PHYS 108
External Webpage: www.physics.ubc.ca/~janis/Courses/108 (this is it)
UBC CANVAS: Online UBC Canvas: http://canvas.ubc.ca/
I will be posting my lecture slides and course materials in UBC's Canvas the night before. My lecture notes are posted as soon as I've finished them, before I go to bed - hopefully before midnight the night before each lecture. Class discussion boards, simulations, links to videos and fun resources, announcements, your grades, online weekly chapter reading assessments, weekly homework assignments, course calendar, help/links are all in Canvas.
Janis' Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-3pm, in HEBB 314. This is between the 2 Wednesday tutorials, and I also stay in the tutorial room for "office hours"/help immediately following each of the tutorials: 1:30-2pm Tuesdays, and 4-4:30pm Wednesdays all in HEBB 314. You can come to any or all of them, regardless of which tutorial section you are in.
I'm at all of the tutorials and I'm available immediately following each one, afterwards until your questions are answered. You can drop by after any of the tutorials, (not just the one in which you are registered). I also hang around for at least 10 minutes out in the back hallway after each lecture for short questions. If none of these times work for you, email me to make an appointment to meet either in my office or online.
Tuesday PHYS 108 Help Sessions: HELP SESSIONS every Tuesday, 5-7pm starting next week January 16. (I've requested HEBB 114)
You are also welcome to come and work on homework in these PHYS 108 Help Sessions. Our PHYS 108 TA Ryan will be running the Help Sessions, and I'll occasionally drop in.
If you want to join others to work on homework in groups, meet your classmates and/or drop in, feel free to drop in. I'll post in Canvas when we get confirmation of the HEBB 114 room.
Physics & Astronomy Drop-In Center : HEBB 112: Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy Drop-In Center Open while the building is open
You are welcome to come and work on homework in this drop-in center/lounge. Meet with your classmates for homework and/or studying. Unlike the Library, you are free to talk, eat, drink coffee/tea etc.
PHYSSOC Lounge: HENN 307 PHYSSOC If you'd like to get involved in academic and/or social activities with students specializing in Physics, Astronomy or Biophysics, or just want a quiet place to work (and cheapest pop on campus)
TA's Office Hours: We'll set up extra office hours with TAs just before each midterm exam and just before the final exam.
Text: Electronic Text: Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Jearl Walker.
Electronic Textbook activation code is available from the UBC Bookstore. (includes full electronic textbook, plus WileyPlus online homework, plus online study resources and practice problems). This all-electronic version is $70 CDN with the activation code from the UBC Bookstore, which is much, much less than the price of the hardcopy textbook + WileyPlus, and is also ~30% cheaper if you buy it from the UBC Bookstore with the code they give you, rather than direct from the WileyPlus website.
You can start with the free 2-week trial, then convert it into your WileyPlus. Instructions are in Canvas.
-- Note: if you want to have a hardcopy, ANY first year calculus-based Physics textbook with the Electricity and Magnetism is fine. Older editions of our textbook are also great, and often you can find inexpensive second hand older hardcopy editions. UBC Library has several copies of older editions which you can borrow. My hardcopy is several editions old.. this physics has not changed much in the past 100 years - although the applications have been changing rapidly - we'll look at some applications as well and demos.
Clickers: I'll be using the online iClicker Cloud. You don't need to buy anything, just use your own smartphone/mobile device, and set up a free UBC iClicker account, see: iClicker Cloud Student Guide
Labs: There are no labs in PHYS 108. All programs/specializations in Physics, Astronomy, Biophysics require you to have the PHYS 119 lab just to be eligible to apply for any of our specializations for 2nd year. A few other specializations in the Faculty of Science will also require you to take the PHYS 119 lab - if you are not sure, please consult the UBC Calendar or Science Second year specialization guide for specific requirements for the 2nd year BSc programs which interest you.
If you are not sure which program you plan to enter next year, you are strongly encouraged to take the PHYS 119 Lab in order to keep many more options open for next year. All BSc degrees have a Laboratory Science Requirement, and PHYS 119 satisfies it.
If you took PHYS 119 lab last term, you might be interested in the optional/fun/extra PHYS 129 lab (it's an advanced continuation of the PHYS 119 lab), and helps prepare you for 2nd year PHYS labs. You can look up lab sections at PHYS 129 Lab .


Grading

Final Exam 40%
Two Midterm Exams, 17% each 34%
Homework (8% online and 8% hand-in) 16%
Peer Discussion Questions in class ("clickers") 5%
Tutorials 3%
Pre-class readings 2%