PHY 102 is a college-level course intended for students with non-technical majors who need a science lab & course. Students will gain an understanding of the physical principles involved in their everyday environment. The course will serve as an alternative physics course for those students having little or no algebra math skills. It is a continuation of a first-semester analog Introduction to Physics I - a distance learning course PHY 101. The course PHY 102 surveys general principles of physics. They include topics such as sound, light, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. It involves using arithmetic and some simple algebra, mostly in laboratory. The prerequisite for PHY 102 is PHY 101. Students also need a working knowledge of arithmetic.

The main objective of this course is to learn the principles of physics, including electricity, magnetism, optics, and wave physics. Specifically, you will

• understand the electric charge and electric and magnetic fields it produces
• learn the laws of the electric current, resistance, voltage and electromagnetic induction
• understand the nature of electromagnetic waves and light
• understand phenomena and laws of geometric optics, such as reflection and refraction
• learn about traveling and standing wave patterns of mechanical waves, understand sound effects such as intensity, loudness, pitch, beats, Doppler effect.

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least 3 exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 4 exams in this course.

Last Updated: December 16, 2010