Principles of Physics II — PHYS 2212
Course Details for Fall 2025
University of North Georgia’s College of Science & Mathematics
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Course Instructor
email: sarah.formica@ung.edu
Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 AM
Hours: T,F by appointment, book your appointment here.
Office Hours
Booking an Appointment
Course Catalog Description
This is a calculus-based introduction to the fundamental laws of electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics. Credit will not be given to students who have credit for PHYS 2212H. Prerequisite: MATH 2460 with a grade of C or higher and PHYS 2211 and 2211L with a grade of C or higher or permission of instructor. Corequisite: PHYS 2212L. (3 credit hours)
Learning Goals
PHYS 2212 is the 2nd semester of introductory physics. We emphasize conceptual understanding and problem solving skills. We cover electricity, circuits, magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light, and optics: the foundations of our modern technological society. My goals are for you to continue developing knowledge and intuition about how the world works, to learn to approach, solve, and understand physics problems on both qualitative and quantitative levels, to relate classroom physics to the real world you live in, and to develop a deeper appreciation of the scientific method.
Respect for Diversity
I recognize that there is a vast untapped intellectual resource in all groups underrepresented in physics. For this reason, I am committed to making physics more accessible to everyone. It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, ability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.
Required Texts and Materials
The textbook for this course is University Physics from OpenStax and is available online. If you prefer paperback you may purchase a copy with ISBN-13: 978-1-50669-816-8 (Volume 2) and ISBN-13: 978-1- 50669-825-0 (Volume 3)
All course materials will be accessed through UNG’s eLearning system, also known as D2L (Desire 2 Learn).
This course is taught primarily online using D2L. If you have any technical difficulties or maybe want to take a tutorial on using some of the technology, please go to https://ung.edu/remote-life/learning/index.php, which is UNG’s source of remote learning resources.
Course Schedule
| Learning Mode | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Work through Before Class submodule on D2L | Oral Quizzes on Zoom 9:00-12:00 | Work through Before Class submodule on D2L | ||
| Classroom | Small group problem solving and Q&A session | Small group problem solving and Q&A session | Q&A session and Written Quizzes | ||
| Online | Work through After Class submodule on D2L | Oral Quizzes on Zoom 1:00-4:00 | Work through After Class submodule on D2L | Oral Quizzes on Zoom 1:00-3:00 | |
| Office hours | Rogers 116A 10:00-11:00 | Virtual Office Hours, by appointment | Rogers 116A 10:00-11:00 | Virtual Office Hours, by appointment |
Content Learning Objectives
Here are the key things you’ll learn in this course and why they’re important. Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Apply fundamental electrostatic principles (Coulomb’s law, electric fields, electric potential) and Gauss’s law to analyze charge distributions and solve related problems.
This will help you grasp how electric charges interact, which is fundamental to understanding all electrical phenomena.
2. Analyze DC circuits using Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s rules, including the behavior of capacitors and RC circuits.
You’ll learn how electricity flows in circuits, which is crucial for understanding all electronic devices.
3. Calculate magnetic forces and fields using the Biot-Savart law and Ampère’s law for various current distributions.
This knowledge is essential for understanding how motors, generators, and many other technologies work.
4. Solve electromagnetic induction problems using Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law, including applications of motional EMF and changing magnetic flux.
This skill is key to understanding how we generate and transmit electricity.
5. Analyze AC circuits, including the behavior of inductors, capacitors, and resistors in AC systems, and calculate impedance and power in these circuits.
This knowledge is important for understanding how our power grid works and how many electronic devices operate.
6. Describe the properties of electromagnetic waves, explain their generation and propagation, and demonstrate how Maxwell’s equations lead to the derivation of the speed of light.
This will help you understand how light, radio waves, and other types of radiation behave and are used in technology.
7. Solve optics problems involving reflection, refraction, and polarization using relevant laws and equations.
This knowledge is useful for understanding how optics work in cameras, glasses, and many other optical devices.
8. Analyze wave optics phenomena, including interference and diffraction, in contexts such as double-slit experiments and diffraction gratings.
This will deepen your understanding of light’s behavior and its applications in technology.
9. Use vector calculus to describe and analyze electromagnetic phenomena across various topics in the course.
This mathematical skill is crucial for describing complex electromagnetic phenomena.
10. Explain the working principles of common electromagnetic devices and relate course concepts to real-world technologies, such as electric power generation and transmission, telecommunications, medical imaging (e.g., MRI), and consumer electronics.
This will help you see how the concepts you’re learning are used in everyday life and cutting-edge technologies.
These objectives are important because they form the foundation of modern physics and engineering. The principles you’ll learn are used in countless technologies, from smartphones to medical imaging devices. Understanding these concepts will give you valuable problem-solving skills and a deeper appreciation of the physical world around you.
Skills Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will be able to
- demonstrate the ability to organize and carry out long, complex physics problems.
- demonstrate the ability to translate a physical description to a mathematical equation.
- demonstrate the ability to present clear, logical and succinct arguments.
(Un)Grading
The grading system in this course is likely very different from what you’re used to. In fact, it’s often called ungrading or going gradeless because it shifts the focus from letter grades to learning.
Research shows that descriptive feedback—rather than grades or scores—leads to greater learning gains. Grades, by contrast, tend to reduce motivation, suppress creativity, promote competition over collaboration, and increase fear of failure. If you’re interested, the article Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently) offers a great overview of this research.
These ideas are supported by scholars like Carol Dweck, whose book Mindset introduced the concept of growth mindset, and Daniel Pink, whose book Drive shows that extrinsic rewards and punishments often hinder creativity and deep thinking.
My goal is to foster a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation in all students.
To support that, I’ve eliminated grading practices that work against these goals.
In this class, you’ll receive written and/or verbal feedback on your assignments highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Each day, you’ll also reflect on your work and learning goals. Throughout the semester, you’ll assess your own progress, revise your work based on feedback, and request additional input—practices shown to promote deeper engagement and more effective learning.
Evidence Portfolio
To help you keep track of your progress and learning in this course, you will use an evidence portfolio. Your evidence portfolio will have a folder for each module, 14 in total. In each folder of your evidence portfolio, you will provide evidence of your learning. You can discuss what you did for that module and how it connects to your learning goals. If you demonstrate competency to me during class or conference, you will record it in the portfolio entry.
At the end of the course, you will have an organized body of work that you will use to determine your final grade for the course.
Final Course Grade
Your final grade will be based on the skills you develop, the learning goals you achieve, and the competencies you demonstrate. Throughout the course, you’ll build a body of work that allows you to assess your own learning and honestly reflect on your effort and progress.
You will have the agency to evaluate your learning and propose your final grade.
Instead of a final exam, you’ll give a presentation to me where you recommend a final grade, supported by evidence from your work. You may choose how to prepare and present this final reflection.
Final Presentation Options
(Choose one)
You will propose your final grade through one of the following options, each limited to 20 minutes (for presentations) or 5 pages (for written work):
Zoom Interview: Meet with me via Zoom for a final exit interview. Present an organized case for your proposed grade, supported by evidence. I will offer feedback and we will discuss your grade together.
Recorded Video: Submit a 20-minute recorded presentation to D2L with evidence supporting your proposed grade.
Written Paper: Submit a written proposal (max 5 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) to D2L that presents your case using evidence from your work.
In all cases, your proposed grade must be supported by your learning and progress. I reserve the right to veto any suggested grade.
Evidence of Learning
To propose a final grade of A for this course, you will need to provide strong evidence of your learning for all 10 Content Learning Objectives listed above. This evidence can take many forms but the list below gives some examples of what you might choose to provide as evidence of your learning:
- Demonstrate mastery of a learning outcome with a thorough and correct solution to a module quiz problem. You have the option to take a quiz in a written format or as an oral quiz.
It is required that you demonstrate mastery of at least 13 quizzes (written and/or oral) to propose an A.
- Demonstrate mastery of a learning outcome by connecting concepts you learn in class with activities you perform in the co-requisite lab. This evidence will be a reflection/narrative that describes the concept, what you learned from the activity and any obstacles you overcame during the learning process.
- Demonstrate mastery of a learning outcome with thorough and correct solutions to practice problems and in-class activities. This evidence can be strengthened with a reflection/narrative that describes what you learned from the activity and any obstacles you overcame during the learning process.
Activities and Assignments
This hybrid course is divided up into 14 modules. Each module will contain the following activities and assignments:
- A folder of your evidence portfolio
- Reading assignments
- Short lecture videos
- Multiple-choice practice problems embedded throughout the lesson
- Discussion questions to prepare for in-class group discussions
- A class activity/tutorial
- A self-assessment Practice Quiz with 10 practice problems
Lesson-Embedded Practice Problems
As you work through a module’s lesson, you will come to multiple-choice questions related to the lesson’s content. These questions serve as a form of self-assessment, so you can determine if what you are learning is making sense. You are required to answer these questions to the best of your ability. All responses are anonymous, and you will be able to see the class’s distribution of responses in real time. Through discussion with your classmates during our in-person class meetings, you will be able to determine the correct answer to the question.
Discussion Questions
As you work through a module, you will be prompted to participate in discussions with your classmates. You should work through these discussion problems on your own and then bring your work to class for a discussion.
Self-Assessment Practice Problems
Toward the end of a module, you will come to a list of 10 Self-assessment Practice Problems which can be used to measure your learning outcomes. These problems will not be graded, but you will be able to check your final answer with an answer key.
For every problem, you are required to use the Problem-Solving Checklist to guide your approach. This process is designed to help you develop critical self-assessment skills by identifying errors, refining your strategies, and learning from your mistakes. Your work on these practice problems will serve as a record of your progress and provide valuable insights into your learning process. Consistently following these steps will not only improve your problem-solving abilities but also deepen your understanding of the course material. Make sure to complete the checklist for every assigned problem.
When you are ready to demonstrate your learning of the module’s content, you can take a quiz which will consist of one of these practice problems. You will have the choice to take this quiz in either a written or oral format.
Quizzes
Written quizzes will be administered in class on Fridays. You will have 30 minutes to complete the written quiz. You will not be allowed to use notes or reference materials, but you will be allowed to use a calculator for written quizzes.
Oral quizzes will be administered via Zoom on Tuesdays between 9:00 AM — 4:00 PM. You will have 10 minutes to complete the oral quiz. You are allowed to use your own notes and reference materials during this oral quiz. I will listen to your solution and may ask follow-up questions about your solution.
When you take a quiz, one of the Self-Assessment Practice Problems will be randomly chosen for you to solve. It is expected that you will have already worked through and solved all the practice problems so you will be adequately prepared for this quiz.
You are limited to taking only two quizzes per week. This is to ensure that you stay on track and don’t get behind.
Here’s how quizzes work in this course:
You’ll have 14 quizzes total. You need to do at least 7 oral quizzes over Zoom and 7 written quizzes in the classroom on Fridays.
You get to decide when to take each quiz and whether it’s oral or written, as long as you stick to these rules. Want to do an oral quiz? Just book a Zoom appointment with me. For a written quiz, come to class on Friday – no appointment needed.
I’m here to help you succeed, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the quiz system or need any clarification. Let’s work together to make sure you’re on track!
Quiz Retakes
With this (un)grading system, learners are allowed the time and flexibility to focus on mastering a learning outcome rather than achieving a certain number or letter grade. In this system, you — the learners — are given the flexibility to choose how you demonstrate mastery and you have the chance to attempt mastery as many times as necessary. With more choice in your learning, you can take the reins and drive your learning journey with student agency.
With this in mind, you are given the opportunity to retake a quiz if you did not master it on your first try. The quiz retake will be one problem from the self-assessment practice problems but it won’t necessarily be the same problem you had the first time. Quiz retakes can be administered in either format, written or orally.
If you retake a quiz but do not master it, you can retake it again.
Problem-Solving Checklist
For every problem, you are required to use the Problem-Solving Checklist to guide your approach.
1. Understand the Problem
- What is the problem asking you to do?
- What principles or concepts do you think apply here? Why?
- What information do you have, and what do you need to find?
2. Plan Your Approach
- Outline your strategy for solving the problem.
- Choose the best method or formula and justify why it’s appropriate. Why did you choose this approach over others?
- Consider any assumptions or simplifications needed.
3. Execute the Solution
- Solve the problem step by step, showing all your work clearly.
- Pay attention to units, significant figures, and logical flow.
- Double-check calculations and intermediate steps as you go
4. Reflect on Initial Results
- Does your solution seem reasonable? Why or why not?
- Compare your answer with expectations or known results (e.g., units, order of magnitude).
5. Identify and Address Errors
- Look for mistakes or gaps in your reasoning or calculations. How did you identify and correct these errors?
- Revise your approach as needed to correct these errors.
- Ask yourself: How can I improve this solution?
6. Iterate and Improve
- Update your solution based on insights from your reflection.
- Test your revised approach and verify if it works better.
- Document what you learned from the iteration process.
7. Connect and Reflect
- What did you learn from solving this problem?
- How does this problem relate to broader concepts or other problems?
- What would you do differently next time when solving a similar problem?
- Are there areas where you need more practice or clarification?
Attendance Policy
Attendance is not required but is strongly encouraged.
This course is structured as a hybrid learning experience, meaning that a significant portion of the work — reading, problem-solving, and self-assessment — happens outside of class time. Class sessions are designed to help you get the most out of that independent work by providing opportunities to:
- Collaborate with your peers to make sense of challenging material
- Get real-time feedback and support from me and our Learning Assistants
- Ask questions and get help on problems you may be stuck on
- Deepen your understanding through discussion and guided practice
While you won’t be graded on attendance, students who regularly attend tend to perform better, stay on track, and feel more connected and supported in the course.
Important Note about Quizzes: Written quizzes will be administered in class on Fridays. You must be present in class to take a quiz. Make-up quizzes will only be offered in cases of documented illness, emergencies, or other approved university-excused absences.
Academic Honesty
You are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity in this course. All work you submit should reflect your own understanding, effort, and voice. Cheating, plagiarism, and any form of misrepresentation — whether through copying others’ work, using unauthorized sources, or misusing AI — undermine both your learning and the integrity of our academic community.
I support the ethical and thoughtful use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as part of the learning process. When used appropriately, AI can help you brainstorm, clarify concepts, revise writing, or explore new ideas. However, like any tool, its value depends on how it’s used.
If you choose to use AI tools, you are responsible for:
- Ensuring your work reflects your own ideas and comprehension
- Acknowledging any AI assistance (e.g., “I used ChatGPT to help outline my response”)
- Avoiding any use of AI that misrepresents your learning or bypasses the intent of the assignment
Using AI to replace your own thinking or effort — especially on graded work — will be treated as a violation of academic integrity.
If you’re unsure whether a certain use of AI is appropriate, please ask. Ethical use of AI is not just about avoiding dishonesty — it’s about engaging responsibly with powerful tools in ways that support your growth and uphold the values of this academic community.
Note: I used ChatGPT to help draft and revise this policy statement. This is one example of how AI can be used transparently and responsibly in support of meaningful work.
Physics Education Research at UNG 