MITx  8.02x  –  Electricity  and  Magnetism  1  WELCOME  to  8.02x!  

8.02  is  the  second  semester  of  the  MIT  introductory  physics  sequence.  Passing  the  online  version  of  this  course  will  guarantee  you  an  MIT  certificate.  The  course  covers  electricity  and  magnetism,  which  are   summarized  by  Maxwell's  equations.   The   topics  you  will   study   include  electric   fields,  magnetic  fields,  electromagnetic   forces,  conductors  and  dielectrics,  electromagnetic  waves,  and  the  nature  of  light.  This  online  version  follows  the  MIT  on-­‐campus  class  as  it  was  given  by  the  renowned  Professor  Walter   Lewin   in   the   spring   of   2002,   and   includes   his   video   lectures   and   problem   solving   sessions.  Professor   Lewin,   proclaimed   "a  Web   Star"   by   The  New  York   Times,   has   supplemented   his   lectures  specifically   for   8.02x   by   including   interactive   concept   questions   to   help   students   check   their  understanding  of  the  material  while  watching  the  lecture  videos.  Also,  the  course  uses  prize-­‐winning  animations  and  interactive  simulations  developed  under  the  leadership  of  Professor  John  Belcher  for  MIT's  Technology  Enabled  Active  Learning  (TEAL)  classroom.  

In   addition   to   the   basic   concepts   of   Electromagnetism,   a   vast   variety   of   “real-­‐world”   topics   are  covered   including:   lightning,  electric  shock  treatment,  electrocardiograms,  metal  detectors,  musical  instruments,   magnetic   levitation,   bullet   trains,   electric   motors,   radios,   TV,   car   ignition   coils,  superconductivity,  aurora  borealis,  rainbows,  radio  telescopes,  interferometers,  particle  accelerators  such  as   the  Large  Hadron  Collider,  mass   spectrometers,   red   sunsets,  blue   skies,  haloes  around   the  Sun  and  Moon,  human  color  perception,  Doppler  effect,  Big-­‐Bang  cosmology…  

2  COURSE  STRUCTURE  AND  GRADING  

You   will   complete   automatically   graded   weekly   homework   problems   and   a   series   of   exams   using  multiple  choice,  numerical  and  symbolic  questions  to  test  your  understanding  and  to  help  you  master  the  material.  Lectures  are   interspersed  with  questions  that  must  be  answered  before  advancing   to  the  next  lecture  segment.  There  is  a  moderated  forum  for  student-­‐to-­‐student  threaded  discussions.  While  homework  deadlines  will  be  strictly  enforced,  the  lowest  homework  grade  will  be  dropped.    

Your  numerical  grade  will  be  based  on:  − interactive  questions  during  the  lectures  (5%),    − homework  problems  (20%),    − three  midterm  exams  (15%  each),    − and  the  final  exam  (30%).    

Your  letter  grade  will  be  based  on  the  percentage  of  the  total  number  of  points  available  as  follows:    − A  (more  than  85%),    − B  (70-­‐85%),    − C  (60-­‐70%).    

At  least  60%  of  the  points  must  be  obtained  to  qualify  for  a  certificate.  

3  IMPORTANT  DEADLINES  

You  can  improve  your  performance  by  making  sure  that  you  prepare  well  for  course  exams:  − Midterm  1  (23-­‐25  March)  

− Midterm  2  (27-­‐29  April)  − Midterm  3  (25-­‐27  May)  − Final  Exam  (15-­‐17  June)  

4  PREREQUISITES  

Passing  8.02x  requires  a  solid  understanding  of  classical  mechanics  and  single  variable  calculus.  You  can   review   the   content   of   MIT   OpenCourseWare   courses   on   classical   mechanics   (8.01,   also   by  Professor  Lewin)  and  calculus  (18.01)  to  assess  whether  you  meet  the  expected  level  of  preparation.  If  you  have  the  necessary  background  knowledge,  we  estimate  that  it  will  take  9-­‐12  hours  weekly  to  take  this  course  and  finish  it  in  the  required  time  of  4  months.  

5  TEXTBOOK    

For   8.02x   we   will   use   "Introduction   to   Electricity   and   Magnetism"   by   Peter   Dourmashkin,   John  Belcher,  and  Sen-­‐Ben  Liao.  The  book  is  available  on  line  without  charge. All  edX  courses  are  free.  The  lectures,  homework,  simulations,  and  textbook  are  all  available  online.  

6  CERTIFICATION  

Online  learners  who  achieve  a  passing  grade  in  8.02x  will  earn  for  free  a  certificate  of  mastery.  These  certificates  will   indicate  you  have  successfully  completed  the  course,  but  will  not   include  a  specific  grade.  Certificates  will  be  issued  by  edX  under  the  name  of  MITx.  

7  QUESTIONS  

If  you  have  any  questions  about  8.02x  that  are  not  answered  in  this  section,  please  ask  them  in  the  discussion  forum.