Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:
A: Problem Solving Skills:
A1. Habitually sketches the configuration of problem elements; consciously selects an appropriate coordinate system; and habitually makes appropriate use of significant figures and units in problem solving.
A2. Identifies sub-problems and breaks a large problem into parts (linking variables).
A3. Habitually develops and interprets algebraic representations before substituting particular numerical values; and interprets algebraic and numerical results in words.
B. Topical content:
B1. Explain simple electrostatics experiments and charge separation phenomena using ideas of conduction, polarization of matter, and neutral pairs;
B2. Identify the spectrum of electric properties of bulk matter resulting from the range of conductivity (zero to sensibly infinite) and describe the basic implications of these properties on the fields and potentials in and around matter, both microscopically and macroscopically.
B3. Recognize that the structure of the field (or potential) is determined by the distribution of the charges and demonstrate this understanding by identifying symmetries in the field (or potential) structure that arise from symmetries in the charge distribution (point vs. line vs. plane sources).
B4. Apply symmetry arguments concerning field structure to the application of Gauss' law.
B5. Compute the flux of the electric field in symmetrical charge configurations and apply Gauss' law to determine the resulting electric field distributions, and to determine the charges enclosed by various closed surfaces.
B6. Demonstrate understanding of the electric field in the space around environment charges by drawing qualitatively correct field line maps for small numbers of charges or charged conductors. Apply quantitative aspects of basic electric field configurations in qualitative reasoning, e.g.
B7. State that the force produced by one charge on another is equal to the force produced by the second charge on the first.
B8. Recognize the analytic simplicity implied by the concept of superposition and can apply this understanding by constructing solutions to complex problems (involving both discrete and continuous charge distributions) by adding the fields (or potentials) for simpler problems together to obtain the field (or potential) for the complex problem.
B9. Demonstrate understanding of the electric potential in the space around environment charges by drawing qualitatively correct equipotential maps for small numbers of charges or charged conductors; demonstrate understanding of the relationships between electric field and electric potential by the ability to transform electric field maps into electric potential maps and the reverse.
B9. Identify that the potential/ potential energy are scalars and use them as scalars in all formulae and computations.
B.10 Express the electric potential/potential energy with the correct sign, handle and interpret the sign(s) correctly.
B11. Produce the relation between the electric potential energy of a point charge, and the electric potential at the charge’s position, and apply it to relate the two quantities / find one from the knowledge of the other for any electric potential function.
B12. Compute the work done by a constant and one-dimensional variable electric field; demonstrate an understanding of the relation between the electric potential energy and the work by being able to reproduce one from the knowledge of the other; demonstrate competence in using the relation between the definite/indefinite space integral of a one-dimensional electric field and the potential function/difference.
To be continued.