Physics 162 Syllabus: Winter 2008

Instructor: Stanley J. Micklavzina

• Office: Room 142 Willamette Hall
• Demonstration Room: Room 109 Willamette Hall
• Phone: 346-4801 or 346-4757
• Office Hours: 2:00 - 3:30 M,W or by appointment. Call or email
• email: stanm@uoregon.edu
• T.A: Anthony Clark aclark@uoregon.edu
  Office: Room 216 Willamette Hall, 346-4770
  Office Hour: Wed 1:00 - 2:00 Room 216, Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 Room 147

Textbook:

Energy Its Use and the Environment Fourth Edition

This course is an introduction to physics principles as they apply to solar and renewable energy and an introduction to direct applications of solar and other alternative energy sources. We will begin by studying energy use, mechanical and thermal energy physics topics, basic electricity, sources of energy, and then focus on applications of direct solar and wind energy conversion systems. We will also look at energy storage and other sources of renewable energy. PHYS 161 and 162 both start by studying basic physics principles before branching into different areas of focus. (PHYS 161 focusses on current popular energy sources and the environmental impact from energy use.)

This is a 4 credit hour course. It includes reading and activity assingments. There are four sources for learning. 1) The lectures use demonstrations to show physics principles and highlight areas from the reading. We will utilize a clicker system to track class unerstanding of the material. Your responses will be recorded with the most points given for participation. For this term, we are supplying the clicker for the course. 2) Reading the book. 3) The homework helps you learn how to juggle numbers and learn to calculate energy usesage and savings. 4) The course homepage with links to information. Active learning is always rewarded in this course.

Course Grading:

Homework 15%, Class Lecture Actvities 11%, Class PRS/Attendance 10%

2 Midterm Exams: 17% each

Final Exam: 30%

No late homework or reports will be accepted. Late homework will not be accepted due to grading hassles.

The exams will be multiple choice, problem solving and essay.

There is some room for adjustment in the schedule and I will update this site regularly. It is your responsibility to find out what announcements were made and what was discussed in class if you miss a lecture. Please let me know what your interests are and I can try and adjust the course to meet your interest.