Study Information for
Final Exam
Spring 2003
Contents
1. Some comments
2. What
will be on the test
3. Equation
sheet
4. Test
format
5. Examples
of questions
1. Some comments
On problems, it is important to show how you reasoned from the information
given in the problem to your final answer. The correct final answer with
units is only worth 2-3 points. The remainder of the points are given
for the quality of your solution. You need to include the following to
receive full credit:
- All the information given in the problem with correct units (This may
include a diagram)
- A statement of what quantity you are trying to find.
- State explicitly what physics principle you are using to solve the
problem
- Solve for the unknown quantity in symbols explicitly before numberic
calculations
- Then substitute numbers with units and calculate the numeric answer
Extra credit will be given for checks made to see if the answer is
reasonable
Be prepared to make reasonable estimations and state your assumptions
when solving problems. Be aware of significant digits in your answers. (Keep
lots of digits until the final calculation, then round to the appropriate precision.)
Here are some really good tips
on test taking from Dr. Richard Felder's website at North Carolina State
University.
If you have ANY questions while taking the test, please be sure to
ask the instructor. The purpose of the test is not to give you trick problems
to catch you in an error. The purpose is to give you an opportunity to "show
what you know" ! The test problems are based completely on the reading,
the lectures, and the homework. If you understand the main ideas and how
to apply them, you'll do well.
2. What
will be on the test => Items in blue
(Items in black will not be covered on this test)
Be sure to carefully review your notes, especially when we've done things
that are not covered very well in the book. Looking over the individual class
days linked to the calendar on the class website will also help refresh your
memory. (Things to know from PHY
2048) For this test, you should be able to do the following things:
Chapter 22: Electric Charge
- To be familiar with basic electric phenomena.
- To understand the charge model and be able to apply
it to situations involving conductors and insulators.
- To understand polarization and the attraction between
neutral and charged objects.
- To understand and use Coulomb's law for point charges.
- To recognize and use the principle of superposition
for electric forces.
Chapter 23: Electric Field
- To begin the process of understanding the field
model and the concept of a field.
- To learn the electric field of a point charge.
- To use the principle of superposition to calculate
the electric field of multiple charges and of continuous distributions of
charge.
- To learn and use the electric field of common charge
distributions.
- To analyze the motion of charges and dipoles in
simple electric fields.
Chapter 24: Gauss' Law
- To calculate the flux through various surfaces for
a given field.
- To understand the relationships between the electric
flux, E-field strength, area, and the angle between the area vector and
the E-field vector.
- To to use Gauss's law to determine the flux through
a surface, the charge inside of a surface or the electric field due to a
charge distribution.
- To explain the properties of conductors in electrostatic
equilibrium
- To apply Gauss's law to find the E-field from continuous
charge distributions with cylindrical, planar, or spherical symmetry.
Chapter 25: Electric Potential
- To begin understanding the concept of electric potential
energy
- To calculate the work done by an electric force
and change in electric potential energy as a charged particle is moved in
an electric field.
- To define the electric potential as a path integral
and calculate the potential difference between two points for various electric
field configurations and various paths.
- To relate change in electric potential to change
in electric potential energy for a particle.
- To use conservation of energy to find the speeds
of charged particles.
- To find and use the electric potential of point
charges, charged spheres, and parallel plate capacitors.
- To define the electron volt as a unit of energy
and relate the electron volt to the joule.
- To relate the change in the electric potential to
the electric field.
- To relate electric field lines to equipotential
lines.
- To calculate the potential energy of a system of
point charges.
Chapter 26 Capacitance
- Calculate the capacitance of an object and determine
the effect of inserting a dielectric material in the capacitor.
- Understand the relationship between charge and potential
difference for a capacitor
- Determine whether two capacitors are in series or
parallel.
- Determine the equivalent capacitance of a network
of capacitors including both parallel and series combinations.
- Determine the energy stored in a capacitor.
Chapter 27 Current and Resistance
- Define the current as the flow rate of charge
- Relate the current to the drift velocity for electrons,
i.e. to understand the connection between the macroscopic current and the
motion of the charge carriers.
- Relate the current density in a conductor to the
conductivity of the material and the electric field.
- Caculate the resistance of an object from its dimensions
and its resistivity
- To understand the properties of an ideal battery
- To understand the connection between current and
potential difference for a conductor
- To describe the criteria needed for a complete circuit
- To realize that Ohm's law is only true for certain
materials
- Determine the power dissapated in various circuit
elements
Chapter 28 Circuits
- To develop and use a conceptual model of simple
DC Circuits
- To determine when resistors are in series or parallel
combinations
- To calculate the equivalent resistance for networks
of series and parallel resistors
- To determine the internal resistance of a battery
from circuit measurements
- To apply Kirchoff's 2 circuit rules to multiple-loop
circuits to solve for the currents
- To understand the properties of an ammeter and voltmeter
and place them properly to make measurements in a DC circuit
- To understand how and why circuits are grounded
- To be able to predict and analyze the behavior of
RC circuits
- Interpret q vs. t and i vs. t curves for charging
and discharging RC circuits
Chapter 29-30 Magnetic Fields
and Forces
- To be familiar with basic magnetic phenomena including
properties of bar magnets and being able to distinguish between electric
and magnetic interactions
- To distinguish between magnetic force and magnetic
field
- To develop a dipole model of magnetism, analogous
to the charge model of electricity, that allows you to understand and reason
about basic magntic phenomena.
- To be able to apply the Biot-Savart Law to determine
the magnetic field of a current distribution
- Determine the magnetic field due to a current distribution
using Ampere's law.
- To be able to use Ampere's law to find the magnetic
field from a symmetric current distribution such as a very long straight
wire of a solenoid.
- To understand the motion of charged particles in
magnetic fields
- To be able to apply the three right-hand rules
for magnetic fields, magnetic forces, and currents
- Calculate the force on a moving charge or a
current-carrying wire segment in a magnetic field
- Determine the radius and period of a charged
particle moving in a magnetic field
- Understand how electric and magnetic fields
can be used to creat a velocity selector
- To understand the magnetic forces and
torques on wires and current loops
- Calculate the force(s) on two current carrying
wires
- Relate the magnetic dipole moment to the area
and current in a loop
- To understand a simple atomic level model of ferromagnetism
- To connect the theory of electromagnetism to the
phenomena of permanent magnets
Chapter 31 Inductions and
Inductance
- To observe evidence of electromagnetic induction
from demonstrations/experiments
- To be able to calculate magnetic flux
- To understand and use Faraday's Law for induced
emf and Lenz's law for induced currents
- To understand basic applications of electromagnetic induction to technology
- To gain a qualitative understanding of electromagnetic waves
Chapter 32 Maxwell's Equations
Chapter 33 Electromagnetic Oscillations
Chapter 34 Electromagnetic Waves
3. Equation sheet
You will need to know the following equations and under what conditions they
can be applied:
You should also know formulas for:
- area & circumference of a circle
- area & volume for a cube, a cylinder, & a sphere
You are expected to know the following conversions (rules of thumb):
- yard => meters
- miles => km
- inches => cm
- kg => lb
You should also know the following numbers to aid in visualization and estimation:
- your height and weight/mass in English and SI units
- The size of your hand
You are expected to derive specific equations you need from these
equations listed above. You will also be given any constants and conversions
you need. Unless told otherwise, you may use - 10 m/s/s for the acceleration
due to gravity.
4. Test Format:
Full period on Saturday, April 26, 2003. A bonus of 5% will be awarded to any
group (with active contract) whose average overall score is 75% is higher.
| Part I |
|
| Group Problem using GOAL Protocol |
50 points
|
| Part II |
|
Multiple Choice or short
answer question, typically 4-5 parts
(no explanation
required, but no partial credit either) |
40 points |
| Short Essay (typically at least 1/2 page) |
10 points |
| 4 Problems based on Homework and Lecture
– 25 points each |
100 points |
|
Total
|
200 points |
5. Practice Tests
This link is to a test I gave when I taught this
course as a SCALE-UP class at North Carolina State University. It intended only
to show you the type of questions I ask on tests and to practice using what
you have learned to prepare for Test 1. No solution is available yet, but you
may discuss your solutions with me or ask questions about the problems in office
hours, the review, or appointments made outside of class. However, I plan to
post student solutions Wednesday night. If you wish to send me your solutions,
I will award 5 points if your solution is chosen to be posted. Be aware that
any topic discussed above in Section 2 or anything we have discussed in class,
in the readings (other than recommended readings), or as homework is fair game
for the test. Topics used in problems on the actual test may differ from topics
covered in the practice test.
You will need adobe acrobat reader (v. 5 or better) to access the practice
test.
6. Some Practice Questions
Multiple-Choice Practice Problem
To be added later
- This is a
link to other multiple-choice problems that will help test your understanding
of key ideas. The topics covered for this test can be found
in Tests 1, 2, & 3. Note that some of these multiple-choice questions
will exend beyond what we have learned so far in class and cover topics not
included in this final exam.
Essay questions
GOAL & Estimation Problems
To Be added later
Homework and Lecture Problems
To be added later