T-Th, 7:00-8:50 pm, A114 Physics-Astronomy Building

Enrollment is not limited. If you were unable to register online, come to class and see me!

Instructor: R. J. Wilkes
B303 Physics-Astronomy Bldg.
543-4232
wilkes@u.washington.edu

Office hrs: after class, or by appointment

Text: F. Pedrotti and L. Pedrotti, Introduction to Optics, Prentice-Hall, 3rd Ed. (2007).

Course website: http://courses.washington.edu/phys545
Handouts will be available on the course website, along with any slides shown in class.

Format:
First week:
Class will begin in A114 Physics-Astronomy Building at 7:00pm, and move to a lab (room number TBD) at 8:00 pm. Both sessions in-person only, not online. Handouts for hands-on activities will be provided in class.
Second week:
Both class sessions will be lectures, online only (I will be speaking to you from Japan!), no hands-on/lab session. We'll practice online connections during the first week. All you need is an internet connection and any common browser.
After second week:
Lectures Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:50 pm  online optional (join me in A114 Physics-Astronomy Building if you prefer to attend in person).
Demonstration/Lab sessions Thursdays, 7:00 - 8:50 pm, in-person attendance required (in room B260 PAB after second week). Handouts for hands-on activities will be posted the day before or earlier - print copies not provided, please print out and bring your own copy!

Topics to be covered are listed on the syllabus web page. The class may sometimes be divided into two groups for the demo/lab activities: Group 1 (last names A-L), and Group 2 (last names M-Z).
"Demo/lab" means you will have a chance to get hands on the demonstration equipment and perform various suggested experiments, but no formal procedures or writeups will be required.  [NOTE: I will generally let the lab/demo section run overtime if people wish more time. Students who must leave promptly at 9:00 should notify me so that I can make sure you get first access to the demonstration activities.]

Reference Materials: Relevant books will be in the Physics Library, which means they can be accessed only during library open hours (afternoons only, due to budget cuts!)
The "reserve list" is not really on reserve, just a list of books you might want to look at in addition to Pedrotti^2.

Grading: Grades will be based on results of the 2 exams (100 points each), plus a term project presentation, due during the last week of classes.  The mid-term and final exams will have the same weight. The best of your 2 exam scores will be counted, so you can miss either exam without loss - no makeup exams will be offered.
The exams will consist of problems similar to those in the ungraded problem sets, including some questions based on the demonstration/lab activities. Exams will be take-home, open book and notes. You can turn in your exam by delivering your paper to my mailbox, or by scanning your paper and sending a pdf by email. Exams are due by 5 pm on the date indicated on the calendar.
Note that there will be NO final exam during finals week, course meetings are over on the last day of classes. However, you have until 5 pm on June 5 to turn in your final take-home exam.
Term project: choose a topic of interest from the list of topics provided, research the topic, and make a 15 min presentation to the class during the last 2 class meetings. To make sure you get started, a proposal giving topic chosen, and references or resources to be used (not all websites; some papers or books required!) must be turned in within 3 weeks.

Safety: Students concerned about walking alone to their car or bus after class can call the ASUW campus escort service (UW- CARES) at 685-WALK.

last updated: mar-22-12