• To give a structured introduction to electricity and magnetism (to see the topics look at the schedule page) 
• The course will focus on two skills
• Quantitative
• Ability to describe physical phenomena in terms of mathematical equations and relationships
• Ability to manipulate these equations in an accurate fashion in order to compute numerical values or algebraic values for physical quantities. 
• Qualitative
• Ability to describe in words physical phenomena and the relationship between various physical events using everyday terminology and the specialized physics vocabulary introduced in the course.
• Both aspects of the course are of equal importance and will be given equal weight in quizzes and exams. 

        Physics 212 is a 4 credit course aimed at helping you to actively explore and discover the fundamentals of     electricity and magnetism.  Several components in this course are used to implement this philosophy: 

   ·    Lectures: A careful reading of the assigned text forms the foundation of your learning. Hence, it will be assumed that you have completed every reading assignment prior to every lecture. You are very encouraged to ask questions during the lecture.
   
   ·    Recitations: Recitations will consist of a brief period where students may ask questions on the homework.

   ·     Homework: Practice problems will be online and given using WebAssign. There will be a limited period of time in which to answer the questions, the home work questions will be personalized. If you get 85% of the problems correct you will get a grade of 100%. The quizzes will test your understanding of the homework problems.

   ·     Laboratory Sessions: The sessions are designed as collaborative group activities that aim to arouse your curiosity and deepen your understanding about physical phenomena through a variety of learning tools such as: 

         ·         Hands-on experimental activities; 

         ·         Analytical problem solving; 

         ·         Numerical data analysis; 

         ·         Computer simulations. 

      Each lab group has access to a  workstation with both specialized Physics software as well as standard word processing, data analysis and presentation software such as Microsoft Office. Familiarity with these programs is not a prerequisite for the course; however, the more familiar you are with the software, the more time you can use to learn the physics!

      The laboratories are an important and central part of the course and reinforce and extend the materials covered in lecture and on the homework.

      Laboratory - You will work in a three member laboratory group to carry out experiments related to the material covered in lecture. The experiments are described in the lab handout. You will prepare a write-up, one per group, addressing specific points of the experiments. 10% will be deducted from the mark for each week late, unless other arrangements have been made