Physics 222 - Modern Physics for Engineers
(Texas A&M University, Spring 2020)
Homepage for Sections 201 + 501
Changes due to COVID-19
Classes have been canceled for the week of Mar 16-20
Midterm exam-2 (Mar 16) has been canceled as well, no make-up
Classes starting Mar 23 will be conducted online using Zoom through the end of classes this semester; make sure to download the Zoom software from here and watch out for an invitation email with the meeting ID (which will be the same for all classes of THIS course)
Midterm exam-3 will be conducted online (probably through Zoom as well) at the originally scheduled date, but covering material from chapters 3-6; further details will follow later
The final exam will not be taken in person either
Due to the dropped midterm exam-2, the grade weighting has changed, see below for details
The syllabus has been updated to accommodate the lost week of Mar 16-20
Announcements
(updated regularly)
Homework Assignments will be done via webassign (more details here and below), with the first due date already by the end of the week-1
For the formula sheets for exams click exam-1 exam-2 exam-3 final
The Help Desk is in MPHY ground floor lobby area, open Mon-Thu 9am-4pm and Fri 9am-12noon
Find the class schedule ("Syllabus") here
Jan 17 (5pm) is the last day to drop without record, Apr 14 (5pm) the last day to Q-drop
Lectures
Mon+Wed
05:45-07:00pm
Course Instructor Dr. Ralf Rapp Teaching Assistant
  The TA listed below is mostly
responsible for grading parts of the exams, and answering Sects. 201 and 501 Required Material
1.) PRE-REQUISITE:
2.) TEXTBOOK: Scope
and Learning Outcomes
The course will provide an introduction to basic phenomena, ideas, concepts and theoretical Course
Grade The total course grade is decomposed
as follows: Final Exam (comprehensive): 35%
2 Midterm Exams: 25% each Homework : 15%
Exams
The exams are closed book; the exams are held during the standard class
hours (3 midterms) and
SCHEDULE
:
Notes on Lectures
Attendance in the lectures, as well as taking notes of the material presented, is mandatory. Notes on Homework (HW)
Homework is strictly online (webassign) and assigned on an approximately weekly basis,
Strategy
To pass the course, you will have to keep up with the material of the course by regularly AGGIE Honor Code and Academic Integrity
An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do. ADA Statement
Texas A&M University is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities
Despite
all the above regulations and rules (which are needed for a fair
assessment
Room: MPHY 205
1st class: Mon Jan 13, last class: Mon Apr 27
no classes on Mon Jan 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and Mar 09-13 (spring break)
Office : Cyclotron CYCL-329
Office-Hrs : Mon+Tue+Fri 10-11am, or by appointment
Phone : 845-1411 (ext. 226)
E-mail : rapp@comp.tamu.edu
  pertinent questions. Appointments with Jacob should be
scheduled via email.
Jacob Woods
E-mail: jakidmaffa@tamu.edu
Office: tba
PHYS-207 (Electricity and Magnetism) and enrollment in MATH-308 (Differential Equations)
The course will be based on the book
Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th edition,
by S.T.~Thronton and A.~Rex.
In particular, the HW problems will be assigned from this book via webassign;
click here
for instruction on how to get webassign access (the cheapest option is the
standalone HW access for $39.95).
The course ID is TAMU 7101 3844
for Section-501 and TAMU 4180 6925 for Section-201.
tools of Modern Physics, including: Special relativity and relativistic kinematics; quantization
of electromagnetic radiation; quantum models of the atom; matter waves, uncertainty principle
and particle-wave duality; quantum mechanics in one dimension and wave functions.
Upon the completion of this course, the student will understand basic physical laws governing
the microscopic world, be able to apply them to pertinent physical situations and problems,
quantitatively solve them using algebraic and calculus methods, and interpret the results.
The course will also hone critical thinking, systematic problem-solving skills and science
communication skills.
If the final-exam grade is better than the worst (non-zero) midterm exam grade, the average of
the former and the latter will replace the latter.
The conversion of the total numerical grade to letter grade will follow the standard key of:
A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69% and F: <60%.
A downward re-adjustment of grade boundaries may occur, but should not be expected.
The exams for the students of Sec. 201 will include modified problems of increased difficulty.
The academic student rules can be found here,
specifically rule 7 for excused university absences.
In case of a missed exam, the student must contact the course instructor as soon as possible. A
make-up exam can only be granted if the student presents a valid university excuse in
due time.
the official final-exam date, as indicated below.
You should only bring a pen and pocket calculator
capable of evaluating trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan) and logarithms/exponentials.
Midterm 1: Wed Feb 05 in class, material covered: Chaps. 1+2
Midterm 2: canceled
Midterm 3: Mon Apr 20 online, material covered: Chaps. 3-6
FINAL: Thu Apr 30 (7:30-9:30am), material covered: comprehensive (Chaps. 1-6, 12)
Furthermore, you are responsible for all announcements made in class (including information
on exam coverage, etc.). The material discussed in the lectures, together with the homework
problems, essentially defines the scope of the exams. Formula sheets to be used in the exams
are handed out in the lectures prior to the exams (this will allow you to get acquainted with
notation ahead of the exams).
following the progress and and based on the material covered in the lectures. The HW is
usually due by the end of the week. Collaborative work and discussions with fellow students
 
are encouraged, but every student must be fully aware and capable of solving each problem
themselves. The HW problems constitute an integral part of the exam problems. Questions
on help with the HW can be addressed to your course instructor or teaching assistant, who
will both be happy to help (preferably during office hours).
attending the lectures and thoroughly working through the weekly HW problems (which,
in turn, provides optimal preparation for exams). Otherwise, pile-up of not understood
material is likely to lead to a failing grade.
Also see http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/
Any type of cheating (copying homework or during exams, etc.) is
strictly prohibited
and seriously penalized.
for all students. If you experience barriers to your education due to a disability or think
you may have a disability, please contact Disability Resources in the Student Services Building
or at (979) 845-1637 or visit http://disability.tamu.edu. Disabilities may include, but are not
limited to attentional, learning, mental health, sensory, physical, or chronic health conditions.
All students are encouraged to discuss their disability related needs with Disability Resources
and their instructors as soon as possible.
of your grades), we hope that you
will enjoy this course, and that you will achieve
knowledge that will be both helpful
in your further career and provide deeper insights
into daithe fundamental workings of physical processes!
If you have any questions or
concerns, do not hesitate to contact your course/
recitation instructors who shall be
glad to help you!