Course Webpage for PHYS-205B-001 (Fall 2025) at SIU--Carbondale

Course Webpage for
PHYS 205B-001: University Physics (Fall 2025)
School of Physics and Applied Physics, Southern Illinois University--Carbondale
Last updated on .

General information:
- Instructor: K. V. Shajesh (Office: Neckers 491, Tel.: +1-618-453-5212)
- Class meetings: TR 9:35-10:50 AM, in Neckers 440.
- Office hours for instructor: MWF 11:00-12:30 PM; MW 3:00-4:00 PM.
- Syllabus for the course. The Provost Office has put together a Syllabus Attachment to assist the student. It lists and provides web links for many elements that are important for a student.
Resources:
- Assigned Textbook:
- Lectures
  - Lecture recordings from Fall 2022 as a YouTube Playlist. These serve as a partial substitute of regular lectures.
  - Formal Lecture Notes: This is not a substitute for a textbook.
- Quizzes and Homework
  - Equation Sheet: While working on homework you can use any reference, however, aim towards limiting your reference to the contents in the Equation Sheet.
  - Submission of Quizzes and Homework will use SIU MyCourses.
- Exams
  - Old Exams are available in Past course webpages [2025S, 2024F, 2024S, 2023F, 2023S, 2022F, 2021F, 2017S, 2016F, 2016S, 2015F, 2015S, 2014F]
    A recorded review session serves as a 'Video Solution' for an exam in another semester.
  - Equation Sheet
- Miscellaneous
  - Errata: List of errors spotted in videos and hand-written notes has been collected here.
  - Physics Help Desk Schedule. Contact Shannon Ketteman (mari.ketteman@siu.edu) at the Physics department office for updated information.
  - Tutorial: PHYS-206B serves as a Tutorial Session for PHYS-205B. Concurrent enrollment in PHYS-206B is recommended.
  - Grades will be posted on SIU MyCourses (password protected).

COURSE CONTENT: WEEKS 01-05

Coulomb's law:
1. Electric charge
2. Insulators versus conductors
3. Electric force, Coulomb's law
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 01
Quizzes: Q-0819 and Q-0821.
Chapter 23 of Textbook.
Electric field
1. Electric field due to discrete charges
2. Motion of a charged particle in a uniform electric field
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 02
Quizzes: Q-0826 and Q-0828.
Chapter 23 of Textbook.
Continuous charge distributions and Gauss's law:
1. Electric field due to continuous charge distributions
2. Electric flux
3. Gauss's law
4. Calculation of electric field using Gauss's law
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 03
Quizzes: Q-0902 and Q-0904.
Chapters 24 of Textbook.
Electric potential and electric potential energy:
1. Electric potential
2. Electric potential energy
3. Calculation of electric potential for given confguration.
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 04
Quizzes: Q-0909 and Q-0911.
Chapter 25 of Textbook.
Midterm Exam 01 and Solutions (September 18, Thursday, in class).
Past MT-01 Review Sessions: [2024S MT01, 2023F MT01, 2022F MT01, 2021F MT01]

COURSE CONTENT: WEEKS 05-08
Capacitance
1. Charge-voltage relation for a capacitor
2. Energy stored inside a capacitor
3. Capacitors in series and parallel
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 05
Quizzes: Q-0916 and Q-0923.
Chapter 26 of Textbook.
DC circuits
1. Current, current density, drift velocity
2. Resistance, resistivity
3. Kirchhoff's circuit laws
4. RC circuit
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 06
Quizzes: Q-0925 and Q-0930.
Chapters 27 and 28 of Textbook.
Magnetic force
1. Vector cross product
2. Magnetic force on a moving charge
3. Magnetic force on a current carrying wire
4. Magnetic dipole moment
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 07A
Homework No. 07B
Quizzes: Q-1002, Q-1007, Q-1014, and Q-1016.
Chapter 29 of Textbook.
Midterm Exam 02 and Solutions (October 09, Thursday, in class).
Review of: [2024S MT02, 2023F MT02, 2023S MT02, 2022F MT02]
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More information:

Evaluation:

Quizzes 10%

Homework 30%

Midterm Exams (3x15%) 45%

Final Exam 15%

Exam schedule:

--->

Midterm Exam 01 --- September 18 (Thursday, during class period)

Midterm Exam 02 --- October 9 (Thursday, during class period)

Midterm Exam 03 --- November 13 (Thursday, during class period)

Final Exam --- December 9 (Tuesday, 10:15 AM-12:15 PM, in class)

Last updated on by K. V. Shajesh (kvshajesh@gmail.com).

Midterm Exam 01	---	September 18 (Thursday, during class period)
Midterm Exam 02	---	October 9 (Thursday, during class period)
Midterm Exam 03	---	November 13 (Thursday, during class period)
Final Exam	---	December 9 (Tuesday, 10:15 AM-12:15 PM, in class)

Quizzes	10%
Homework	30%
Midterm Exams (3x15%)	45%
Final Exam	15%