PHYS 322 A: Electromagnetism II

Summer 2025 Full-term
Meeting:
MW 9:10am - 10:40am / PAA A110
SLN:
13030
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Instructor: Zack Draper

Instructor Contact: ztd@uw.edu

Course Time: MW 9:10-10:40 am

Course meets in room: PAA A110

Office Hours Time: Friday, 11:00

Office Hours Location: PAA Physics Study Center

Midterm Exam: Wednesday, July 23

Final Exam: Wednesday, August 20

 

  • Head TA: Jonah Librande
    • Time: After Monday's Tutorial   Location: PAB 156
  • TA: Logan Joseph
    • Time: Tuesday 10:30-11:30   Location: PAA Physics Study Center
  • TA: Ziyuan Li
    • Time: Tuesday 10:30-11:30   Location: PAA Physics Study Center

  • Course Texts: Griffiths, "Introduction to Electrodynamics", 4th edition 
  • Research Opt-Out survey: [link]

Tentative Weekly Course Schedule:

Course outline-1.png


Comments

  • Welcome to the second quarter of three electricity and magnetism courses at the University of Washington. You should find this course quite challenging, and the expenditure of time required to fully grasp the subject should be high. That said, you should also find that your mathematical and physics abilities greatly increased by the effort.
  • Given that this is Summer Quarter, there are several things to be aware of. One is that there are only nine weeks and so the content is compressed, leading to more work per week. The other is that there is no finals week, the final exam is the last day of the quarter. 


Grading Policy

The final course grade is based on the midterm and final, homework, quizzes, tutorials, and pre-lecture reading assignments.

  • Exams [40%]: There will be one midterm and one final exam.
    • Midterm Exam: The midterm will be closed-book and will focus on material covered in lecture, homework problems, and quiz problems. 
    • Final Exam: The final exam is on the last day of class and will be closed-book. It will be cumulative, but will be weighted more heavily to concepts covered in the second half of the course.
    • Exam Policies:
      • Calculators are permitted, though are unlikely to be very useful. Other electronics including cell phones and laptops are not permitted. Exams are to be your own work; you are not permitted to collaborate with any other person.
      • The Physics department reserves the right to ask for valid identification from any student during examinations.
      • Note that there will be no make-up exams, unless sufficient advanced notice is given. Students with outside professional, service, or career commitments (i.e. military service, ROTC, professional conference presentation, NCAA sports, etc.) conflicting exactly with the exam dates must contact the instructor early in the quarter to establish alternate examination procedures.
    • Exam Grading:
      • Your overall exam score will be based on the best of the following two methods: 
        • Method 1: 33% from the midterm and 67% from the final
        • Method 2: 50% from the midterm and 50% from the final
      • If the class average on a given exam is less than 65%, then all the scores for that exam will be adjusted upward so that the average is 65%. Scores will not be adjusted downward even if the class average is higher than 65%
      • Exam Re-grades: If you believe that the points on the examination were incorrectly totaled or if there is a gross error in the grading, you may return an exam for regrading. To do so, you must resubmit the examination no later than at the beginning of the lecture following the one in which the exams are returned. You must write a brief note on the front page or attached to the front page of the exam explaining the possible error in the grading. Do not make *any* changes or marks on the other pages of the examination. Portions of each examination are scanned or photocopied. You should be aware that any request for a regrade may result in a regrading of the entire exam. Therefore your total score may increase or decrease.
  • Homework: Lecture and tutorial homework will be combined into a single assignment and given weekly. It is to be turned in on Canvas prior to the start of class each Monday.
    • Written Homework [30%]: We are more interested in the work and not the answer. You will need to explain, using words (not just math), why you took the steps you did solving problems.
    • Pre-lecture homework [5%]: Before each lecture there are a set of problems associated with the reading. Be sure to complete these prior to coming to class.
  • In-class Quizzes [15%]: Quizzes will be held each week on Wednesday at the beginning of class.
    • Quiz questions will be based on the homework due the prior Monday. If you know how to do all the homework questions, you should be well-prepared for the quiz.
    • Quizzes will take approximately 20 minutes and will start at the beginning of class. Please show up on time to give yourself the full time to work on the quiz.
    • The lowest quiz score will be dropped.
  • Tutorials [10%] Tutorial participation and pretests.
    • We will drop the lowest score on the tutorial pretests.
    • Tutorial homework will be included with the weekly lecture homework assignments and will be turned in at the same time.
  • Your responsibility: Check your grades on Canvas every week or two and report any problems to the lecture instructor and tutorial instructor immediately. Exam and homework grades should be recorded for your review within one week from the date that papers are submitted for grading.

The Physics Study Center

Students are encouraged to gather and work cooperatively in small groups in the Physics Study Center located in room AM018 of PAA. (to reach the Physics Study Center, go down the stairs that circle behind the Foucault pendulum and proceed toward the end of the hall). Teaching assistants will be available for consultation during many portions of the day if your study group needs assistance, but staffing levels will not support much individual attention. The Study Center is staffed from approximately 9:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays.

Class Policies

Attendance Policy: Since participation is vital for a successful experience, please arrive on time for class. Late arrivals interrupt our in-progress activities and discussions. If you must miss a class session, let the instructor know as soon as possible so that you can make up the work that you miss. DO NOT ARRIVE LATE TO CLASS!

Technology in the Classroom: Since technology is profoundly linked to education, there will be many times when I ask that you employ different tools in the gathering and expression of knowledge. Since, however, education is also more than technology, please turn off all laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc before the start of class and I will let you know when we’ll make use of them. (There are exceptions for students with specific note-taking and other needs.)

Incompletes: University rules state that “an incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks at the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.” We strongly discourage incompletes.

Academic Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to us, so if you have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical), please contact DRS (Links to an external site.) to arrange accommodations.

Religious Accommodations: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.).

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct: The University takes academic integrity and student conduct very seriously.  Behaving with integrity and respect is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community.  Acts of academic misconduct may include, but are not limited to, cheating by working with others or sharing answers on exams.

Please note that screenshots or recordings of instructors, other students, and course materials during active video (Zoom) participation sessions are strictly forbidden.  Streaming or posting inappropriate materials on any course platform is also not allowed.

All the course materials including exam and quiz questions, lecture notes, lecture videos are intellectual properties of the instructor and the University of Washington. Distributing them in any form without permission is forbidden.  

The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals.  Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution.  More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/ (Links to an external site.).

If you’re uncertain about if something is academic or behavioral misconduct, ask us. We are willing to discuss questions you might have.

UW SafeCampus:

Preventing violence is everyone's responsibility. If you're concerned, tell someone.
* Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.
* Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.
* Don't walk alone. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255).
* Stay connected in an emergency with UW Alert. Register your mobile number to receive instant notification of campus emergencies via text and voice messaging. Sign up online at www.washington.edu/alert For more information visit the SafeCampus website at *www.washington.edu/safecampus*.


Research Study Information

This course is part of a research project examining student reasoning ability and attitudes about physics with the goal of improving physics teaching.  By enrolling in this course, you are automatically included in the study. Early in the quarter, students will have an opportunity to learn about the study and to remove themselves from the study if they wish. Your instructor will not know whether or not you participate. Please click on this link to review the details of the study, contact a member of the research team, or remove yourself from the study.

Catalog Description:
Continuation of PHYS 321. Charges at rest and in motion; dielectric and magnetic media; electromagnetic waves; relativity and electromagnetism; physical optics. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 321. Offered: WS.
GE Requirements Met:
Natural Sciences (NSc)
Credits:
4.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
August 11, 2025 - 3:47 pm