Physics 2130: 
Introduction to Modern Physics

Fall  2020

This is one of our favorite courses! With your engagement you will learn an amazing amount, have fun, and help build a thriving course community.

We know this will be a different type of learning experience given the challenges of COVID and moving online.  We have radically redesigned this class to support your learning in this new medium and challenging times. Fortunately we have decades of experience working online. We know that it will be a positive and productive learning experience. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. 

The goal of this course is for you to understand the microscopic origin of the behavior of materials that you may encounter in the world around you or in technological applications. Engineers and scientists use simplified models to describe material properties, and most of the time these approximations work fine, but not always. This course will help you to understand why these models work and where they become unreliable and why.  The latter issues become particularly important as one is working in the area of nanotechnology. Another goal is to increase your general knowledge through understanding the “new” (in past hundred years) ways physicists have come to understand how the universe behaves, i.e. according to the laws of quantum physics.   A third goal is for you to develop a sense of when and how scientific models and forms of interpretation work (e.g. when is good to use the Bohr model vs Schrodinger model of the atom? What do we mean by "wave-nature of matter"?). A fourth goal is to develop your sense of self as a scientist and engineer (you don't have to become one, but rather see your capacities as a scientist and engineer). A fifth goal is to cultivate a sense of excitement and interest in quantum mechanics. Finally, we wish you to develop your skills in scientific practice, which include collaborative work, analyzing texts, engaging in productive argumentation, solving problems, and making sense of the world around you.

Instructional Team

Professor:  Noah Finkelstein

Office: F1021 Gamow Tower; email: noah.finkelstein@colorado.edu [Though he will hold office hours online]

For info on Noah and his research see his site

Course Co-Designers and Co-Instructors   Julian Gifford

TAs/Graders:  Kenny Higginbotham, Haoqing Zhang

Learning Assistants: Jake, Liam, and Sam

Important Times and Dates

 Lecture/Class Meetings:

Tuesday / Thursday, 3:55- 5:10 PM, Online - Class Meeting Zoom channel can be found on our online info

Problem Solving Sessions/ Help Room:

Optional (and highly recommended).  Located on our Class HelpRoom channel can be found on our online info.  Tentatively scheduled

• • Fridays 3-5 PM 
  • Mondays  2-5 PM 
  • Tuesdays 10 AM - 12:30p

Office Hours:

Noah Finkelstein:

Tuesday Tuesday/Thursday 2:30-3:30 PM in Zoom Office Hours Channel  found on our online info.  Also available by appointment and over email.

Others on the team: in the help room or by appointment.

Hour Exams: 

• • Exam 1: Sept 24: 4p opening. Note this is during CLASS time .. NOT in the evening.  
  • Exam 2: Oct 29: 4p opening.
  • Exam 3: Dec 9, 4:30p opening (during finals period)

             

Course pre & co- requisites

Co-requisite: Math 2400, or permission.

Pre-requisite: Physics 1120, 1140 or ECEN 2250, 3400, or permission.

Course Materials

• Textbook: University Physics, on Open Stax:  Mostly Vol 3, unit 2, with review materials from Vol 1 and 2.
  
  Optional: Knight, Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Custom edition for CU: excerpts of 4th edition from Volumes 3 and 5, ISBN#9781323727997).  This is a fine supplement and with more detail / readable than open stacks.
  

  Any Edition of Knight is fine : 4th Edition: Chapters 16-17 (volume 3), 37-42 (volume 5), 3rd or 1st Edition: Chapters 20-21 (volume 3), 37-42 (volume 5),  2nd Edition: Chapters 20-21 (volume 3), 38-43 (volume 5)
  

• Additional Readings will be posted on Canvas and/or Perusall

• Supplemental Materials (optional) see Additional Physics Resources tab
• Calculator: Have this available for class meeting times
• A computer (laptop /desktop preferable, tablet okay -- but a smartphone probably wont' suffice) for connecting (see more on remote connections)
• An iClicker reef account for use during class, (see more on remote connections)

Useful websites 

• Our main website: https://canvas.colorado.edu/courses/63142

This site will contain assignments (homeworks, readings), a place to submit your materials, schedule, calendar, exam prep, supplementary materials, and all main communications (outside of email).  

• We will use Perusal (linked through Canvas) for a threaded discussion on the readings.
• http://phet.colorado.edu/ has many of the interactive simulations used in class

Guiding principles of the instruction

1. People understand concepts better by engaging with them in action and thinking about them than they do by hearing them explained.
2. Understanding physics (asking questions and solving problems that test that understanding) is a learned skill, like cooking or playing basketball or the violin. It takes time, effort, and practice.
3. People learn best by thinking about topics and discussing them with others.
4. Students learn most when they take the responsibility for what is learned.
5. Articulating reasoning, engaging in debate and discussion around ideas is at least as important as knowing the answers.
6. We will attend to the difficulties of only meeting online; we will utilize the benefits of meeting online too!
7. We are in this together - learning requires interaction with others.  We will create an inclusive and supportive environment. We will avoid competition in this environment and support collaborative work.

In keeping with these principles, there will be a substantial number of homework problems each week.  You will likely have considerable difficulty completing them if you do not follow strategic problem solving approaches and/or you work alone.  However, if you work with other students and develop a productive and strategic approach to problem solving, the homework problems should take you less time and effort, and you will learn a lot from doing them.  You are encouraged to work out the solutions to problems collaboratively with other students; however, you are required to write up the answers in your own words. So each student’s wording should be unique to the individual. I will fail any student who submits work that is not their own or permits another student to do so.

Typically you will need to spend between four and six hours outside of class to master the material (your homework will typically require 3-5 hours and you should spend a couple hours each week reading and preparing for class).

There will be several problem solving sessions where you will be able to conveniently get together with other students to work on homework.  The instructors (Noah Finkelstein & Julian Gifford) and the LAs will be present at these sessions to provide “coaching” on problem solving methods. You are strongly encouraged to come to these to work with other students and get coaching in problem solving as necessary. The times and Zoom room connection are listed above.

Students begin this class with a range of backgrounds in physics and math. As a result, it is impossible for each class to be perfectly matched to everyone’s background. The primary purpose of help room and office hours is to provide individual help to students as they need it. We are pleased to provide whatever help is necessary for every student, regardless of background, to do well in the course and achieve all of the learning goals.  However, it is your responsibility to recognize that you need that help, and to take advantage of its availability by asking to meet with us.

Official course dates: for more see registrar schedule for Fall 2020

Aug 25, 3:5pp PM, class begins.  Hoooaaaa!

Sept 2, 11:59 PM: Last Day to Add a Class

Sept 9, 11:59 PM: Last Day to Drop Class without Tuition/Fee Charges and without a W.

Oct 30, last day to move final if you have 3 or more finals scheduled for the same day

Oct 30,,  11:59 PM: Last Day to Drop a Class

Dec 3  Last Day of class,  [sad emoji]

Dec 8: reading Day

Grades & Grading

Grading philosophy:  the amount you will learn depends on how much thought and practice you put in (distributed sensibly over the term).  Everyone who makes an honest attempt to do all the assigned work on time will pass, normally with either an A or B.  The course scoring and grading schemes are designed to be non-competitive.  That is, everybody can win (i.e. learn), and helping others (not cheating though) is a great way for you to learn and do well!

Grade Components

In-class activities and Online Participation (15% of grade)

• Ungraded in-class participation: 2 points per class for participating in clicker questions (regardless of your answer). Occasionally additional participation points will be awarded for more extended activities (Tutorials, etc.).
• Graded in-class participation: 3 points for each reading quiz (~once per week). Occasionally there will be a graded clicker questions during class worth 1 point each.
• Online (Canvas and Perusall) participation is expected (and will be several points/ assignment) as well.

We will drop two days of in-class participation

Homework (40% of grade)

• Weekly homework assignments worth a varying numbers of points each.
• Online Feedback: Each week you will have the option of submitting feedback about the course.  You will get 1 extra-credit point towards your overall homework grade (not to exceed 100%) for each week that you submit well considered feedback.

Your lowest homework score will be dropped

Exams (30% of grade)

• There will be 3 1-hour “midterm” exams 
  Your lowest midterm exam will be dropped from your exams score (this drop includes a 0 you will get for missing a midterm exam)

Final Projects (15% of grade)

• This will be discussed further in class, but it is you will have the opportunity to conduct an individual (or group) project on a topic of interest to you.  

Course reflection essay/Extra Credit: This can be used to replace either the long answer portion of one of your midterms or the second of your lowest homework scores that are not dropped (either option is equivalent to ~ 4% of your total grade).

Letter grades

Will be assigned based on the total grade (A’s for 90% or higher; B’s for 80-90%; C’s for 70-80%; D’s for 60%-70%, less than 60% is an F).  We reserve the right to lower these cut offs, but we will not raise them.

With this grading system, the most important requirement for getting a good grade is to do all the homework assignments and participate in class!  Missing several weeks of class and homework will likely put you in danger of failing, no matter how well you do on the exams! Your lowest weekly homework score and your 2 lowest in-class scores will be thrown out, so you can miss one week’s homework and  forget your clicker two times without penalty. In the event that you miss or have uncharacteristic troubles on one of the three midterms, this grade will be dropped and your final score weighted more heavily (see above).

There will be no make-up homeworks or exams. The drops mentioned above exist to cover illness, car trouble, forgotten clickers, participation in athletic events, etc.  There will be no other corrections made to grades other than for major medical or personal catastrophes.  While we respect your own decision making, we strongly suggest that you do not view these homework and class drops as an opportunity to skip out on an assignment. (Note that the snow is better in the spring term anyhow.) You may find later on that you need them unexpectedly (this is the reason they exist after all!).

Weekly checklist for best learning (and grade)

1. Was there reading due this week?  Did I do it?
2. Did I come to class and bring my clicker and calculator?
3. Did I submit my homework online by the deadline?
4. Is there an exam this week?
5. Did I submit my online participation (feedback) response?
   
   

Further details on the individual course components

Homework:

• Homework assignments will be posted on Canvas each week.  There will be a pdf of the Homework Handout and we strongly recommend that you print out and work through the Homework Handout. The homework will include a variety of short answer, multiple choice, calculation, and explanation questions .  In addition to the Short Answer component, there will often be a Long Answer question.  You should submit your homework as a single PDF file. (Scanning is fine.   See here for more info about scanning / submitting.)
• We will aim to post new homework assignments on Wednesday morning each week, but they will be posted no later than Friday morning.  Weekly homework will cover content through Thursday's lecture.
• Homework will typically be due Tuesday at 12:30p (this is before the next week of content begins).  Excluding exam weeks, homework assignments will be available on Canvas until Wednesday at noon.  Assignments submitted after the due date, but before solutions are posted can receive up to 75% credit.
• Homework is a large part of your grade, so failing to turn in more than one assignment, and thereby getting a 0 will have a big impact on your grade. Talk to us NOW if you will have a scheduling problem during the term so that you will be unable to complete any of the assignments.  Permission for exceptions from the normal class work schedule must be requested in advance.
• We encourage you to work together on the homework problems, but you must write up the answers in your own words.  There will be several Problem Solving Sessions each week: see schedule above. These sessions will meet online.  This is a great opportunity to come work on the homework with your classmates!
• Homework grading will be done by the TA's.  Scores will generally be released on Thursdays, but not later than Friday.  Any questions or concerns with the grading should be directed to the the professor or lead TA.
• There will be many essay questions on the homeworks.  To do well on the essays consider the following rubric, which will help you succeed:

Criteria for succeeding on long answers and essays:

Many of the homework questions ask you to use physical principles discussed in class to analyze a situation and reason an outcome.  For each of the questions or parts of questions, consider the following elements.
Do your answers:   

Identify the physical principle(s) that are relevant to answering the question?

Explain how the principle(s) apply to the situation described in the problem?

Employ proper reasoning to explain the logic in going from how a given principle applies to the situation to the answer to the question?

Demonstrate clarity and completeness in writing?

• Each week you will be asked to provide feedback on various aspects of the course, what you are learning, how you are thinking about the ideas, etc.  This is an opportunity for you to tell us how things are going, and to contribute to the construction of the class. You are not graded on your response, but we value this feedback and thoughts as it helps us better understand how to teach the class effectively. You will receive 1 point of extra-credit (towards your homework score) each week for submitting quality feedback.

Participation

You will need to have an i>clicker personal response system  for answering questions in class. 

• Reading Quizzes: ~ Roughly once per week there will be a very short quiz covering the material in the readings and in class. These quizzes are worth 2 to 3 points.
• In-class clicker questions: During class there will be many questions on which you enter your response using clickers.  Your answers will be recorded and you will receive 2 points towards your participation grade each class for submitting answers to all of the questions (whether or not your answers are correct).  There will be a few graded questions, typically 0 to 2 per class, for which you will receive additional credit (1 point per question) only if you have the correct answer.  Graded questions will usually be late in the class and nearly all students will get them correct if they have been paying attention.
• In-class activities: Some weeks there will be a more extended in-class activity (e.g. a tutorial) for which you will receive significant participation credit.
• Perusall:  Many weeks there will be additional readings (housed on Perusall) beyond the relevant sections of the textbook.  For each reading, it is expected that you will make at least 3 legitimate annotations.  One of these must be an original question/comment on the reading, and another must be a response to another student's question/comment.  While there will often also be questions concerning the readings on the homework, participation credit will be given for these online comments.

A note on technology in the classroom:  please see online reference and discussions first day of class.

Exams

• Each of the three 1-hour "midterm" exams will contribute equally towards your total exam grade,
• Each midterm exam will include short and long -answer problems.  They are anticipated to take about 1 hour each.  However you will be given a window of time 4p -7p of the day of the exams to work on these without time pressure.   
• Except for documented accomodations, there will be no early or late exams given.
• There will be no make-up exams.
• Be sure to bring formula card(s) and a calculator. All exams will be closed book. You may make up a single 3 x 5 formula card (front and back) for each exam and bring your previous cards with you to subsequent exams - so you will have one card for first exam, two for the second and four for the final.  You can write anything you want on your formula card, but you must write it by hand - no photocopying or printing allowed. You should bring a calculator to class and to exams. No internet, communication with others or unauthorized sharing / work is allowed.
• Important: To accommodate travel, illness, etc, one of the midterm exam scores will be dropped. You should not need to be excused for a second. Only in the rare instance of a severe medical or family emergency will an excuse for a second absence be considered. To be excused from a second exam you must notify Noah Finkelstein by email or telephone before the exam, and you must provide a physician's note or other documentation within two weeks of the exam.  If you failed to call before the exam, you must provide documentation explaining why a medical condition made this impossible.
• Exam solutions, grades, and exam statistics will be posted on Canvas before the following class.

Additional General Principles

The following additional guidelines are primarily to prevent students from obtaining an unfair advantage over others in the class. If the guidelines above or following principles are going to cramp your style, then this class is probably not for you.

1. No student who makes a serious effort at all the assigned work should fail this class. If you miss multiple homework assignment, do not participate, or do not take an exam, it becomes possible for you to fail the course no matter how good your exam scores are.
2. Although you are encouraged to work together with other students, you must hand in your own work and put the explanation in your own words.Handing in a copy of another student’s work is considered cheating.  We will fail any student who submits for a grade work that is not his, her, or their own or permits another student to do so.
   
   

Class and Campus Policies for Success and Community

Adapting to the COVID era - safety, community, learning.

We know that this is a challenging time and we are adapting to new modalities.  Hang in there. We are committed to your (and our) safety and well being, building community, and advancing your learning of modern physics.  

We will be constructing an online (synchronous remote) experience to support you this term.  I have posted a bit about technology preparations for class and what will be expected of you tech-wise, links to our resources for class (meeting info / connections), tips for success, and our approach to online education. Here are  lots of tips, and expectations on participating online to make a safe, community, and engaged environment for learning. This is a starting point and we will collectively define our norms of interaction in class.

Additionally, please see  the campus COVID page for students for more informaiton and resources about the semester.

COVID Safety Procedures  [mostly not applicable in our remote class but good to know]

As a matter of public health and safety due to the pandemic, all members of the CU Boulder community and all visitors to campus must follow university, department and building requirements, and public health orders in place to reduce the risk of spreading infectious disease. Required safety measures at CU Boulder relevant to the classroom setting include:

• • • maintain 6-foot distancing when possible,
    • wear a face covering in public indoor spaces and outdoors while on campus consistent with state and county health orders,
    •  clean local work area,
    •  practice hand hygiene,
    •  follow public health orders, and
    • if sick and you live off campus, do not come onto campus (unless instructed by a CU Healthcare professional), or if you live on-campus, please alert CU Boulder Medical Services.

Students who fail to adhere to these requirements will be asked to leave class, and students who do not leave class when asked or who refuse to comply with these requirements will be referred to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. For more information, see the policies on COVID-19 Health and Safety and classroom behavior and the Student Code of Conduct. If you require accommodation because a disability prevents you from fulfilling these safety measures, please see the “Accommodation for Disabilities” statement on this syllabus.

Before returning to campus, all students must complete the COVID-19 Student Health and Expectations Course. Before coming on to campus each day, all students are required to complete a Daily Health Form. 

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for or had symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home and complete the Health Questionnaire and Illness Reporting Form remotely. In this class, if you are sick or quarantined, I will make accommodations for you, allowing you to participate and conduct makeup work.

Accommodation for Disabilities

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed.  Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment.  Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance.  If you have a temporary medical condition, see Temporary Medical Conditions on the Disability Services website.

 

Religious Obligations – Conflicts with Scheduled Exams, Assignments or Class Participation.

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance.  We will make every effort to accommodate all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or other required attendance, provided you notify me at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled conflict.

See the campus policy regarding religious observances for full details.

 

Student Classroom and Course-Related Behavior

Both students and faculty are responsible for maintaining an appropriate learning environment in all instructional settings, whether in person, remote or online. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy.  For more information, see the policies on classroom behavior and the Student Code of Conduct.

 

Preferred Names and Pronouns

CU Boulder recognizes that students' legal information doesn't always align with how they identify. Students may update their preferred names and pronouns via the student portal; those preferred names and pronouns are listed on instructors' class rosters. In the absence of such updates, the name that appears on the class roster is the student's legal name.

 

Honor Code

All students enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code. Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu); 303-492-5550). Students found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic integrity policy can be found at the Honor Code Office website.

Using someone else's clicker id to give them credit is a direct and serious violation of the CU honor code - please don't do it, nor tolerate other people doing it. (In keeping with this, I will immediately fail any student who: submits for a grade work that is not their own or permits another student to do so/submits for a re-grade any work that was modified after it was graded/lies in an effort to improve their grade or to obtain any special consideration or exception from the normal class work schedule).

We know this is a big class, but I really want to establish an atmosphere of trust and respect. Please feel free to talk to me if anything is going on that you're not comfortable with! 

 

Misconduct, Discrimination and Harassment

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. CU Boulder will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct (harassment, exploitation, and assault), intimate partner violence (dating or domestic violence), stalking, or protected-class discrimination or harassment by members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or cureport@colorado.edu. Information about the OIEC, university policies, anonymous reporting, and the campus resources can be found on the OIEC website.

Please know that faculty and instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, stalking, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to ensure that individuals impacted receive information about options for reporting and support resources.

 

Resources for Wellbeing

Our teaching team cares deeply about your mental and emotional wellbeing. If you’re not finding college to be a respectful and inclusive place, CU offers several short-term and long-term supports. If you would also like support accessing any of these services, let any of us know.

Counseling & Psychiatric Services - counseling, therapy, workshops

Office of Victim's Assistance (OVA) - advocacy, support, and counseling for survivors of trauma

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE)

Center for Inclusion and Social Change - trainings, resources, support to support all students in the exploration of all of their identities & resources, advocacy, and community for women-identified students

Disability Services - support for accessibility

Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance - investigates issues of harassment and discrimination

Ombuds - confidential resource for interpersonal and university-related concerns

Civic well-being

Go Vote. Really. Vote. (If you can).

From Professor Steve Pollock’s 2004 website (and recently updated). (This ismpressively relevant and I wholly concur):

"I firmly believe that we can take individual actions that will make the world we live in a better place. One obvious thing YOU can do is vote. Here is CU's voter registration page if you haven't yet registered. It's not too late!

I know it's so easy to blow this off, and yet almost equally simple to register and vote. It's YOUR life and YOUR future that are impacted. Take a stand! Convince your friends to participate! I would never consider suggesting which way you should vote - but WOULD ask that you use your superpowers of critical thinking, reasoned argument, inference by evidence, and basic logic you learn in physics and apply them to issues of political significance. (Which suggests, among other things, don't just listen to your parents, or any one TV channel) Dig a little, think about what matters, make rational and ethically sound decisions. Argue and discuss, group work helps everywhere in life, not just in physics class. And then vote, it's empowering!"

More information at: www.GoVoteColorado.com – check your Colorado registration status and district or register to vote (deadline for online registration to receive a ballot in the mail is October 26 for the November 3 election – In Colorado, you can also register to vote and vote in person up to 7pm on Election Day at a polling place) OR information on registration and voting for all states at: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

If you need class- time to vote, or register to vote-- that is it is really only the reasonable time for you to do so, I will excuse you from class  (with modest makeup work) and you provide me evidence you are doing so.