About Me

My name is Dr. Patrick M. Len, and I will be your instructor for this physics course (I also teach astronomy). You can watch this video to find out more about me!

Contact Information

Instructor: Dr. Patrick M. Len, Ph.D.
E-mail: pLen@cuesta.edu

About This Course

Here are  important details to know about this course before the start of the spring 2026 semester. You  gain full access to this course on the first day of the semester (Tuesday, January 20). Both the lecture and laboratory components of this course are a hybrid of in-person classroom and online work.

Learn about describing and modeling light as rays and waves; electric and magnetic forces, fields, and circuits; and the behavior of nuclei and subatomic particles!

Together we explore our place in this physical world, while being respectful of everyone's backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. We can learn about physics and from each other in an enthusiastic and welcoming environment. Your feedback is valuable, and so please let me know what can be done to maximize your learning experience.

Hybrid Course Information

This course has three weekly components:

• In-person lab (room 2101, San Luis Obispo campus), Monday mornings/afternoons.
• In-person lecture (room 2609, San Luis Obispo campus), Monday afternoons.
• Asynchronous online instruction (using Canvas).
  

We use Canvas (a web-based learning management system) for course materials and links, grades, e-mail and discussion boards. Prepare to spend 8-12 hours per week for this course on self-directed reading, viewing, studying, and writing.

If you are unsure if a hybrid course with an online component is right for you, go to Cuesta College's Online Readiness Resources webpage and go through the questions listed there, to self-assess your ability to succeed.

Refer to the Technical Frequently Asked Questions regarding specific minimum computer and browser requirements for Canvas.

Cuesta College has resources on Getting Started with Canvas, and offers a "Being Successful Online" tutorial.

Cuesta College has a technical support page available to help you with Canvas problems.

Course Catalog Description

This course is the second semester of a two-semester sequence, and presents the principles of geometric optics, physical optics, static and dynamic electricity and magnetism, introductory DC and AC circuit theory, modern physics topics (relativity, particles and waves, atomic structure, radioactivity and nuclear reactions) using trigonometry. Prerequisite: PHYS 205A or equivalent.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Describe and quantify geometric and physical behavior of light. (E.g., model image formation by lenses, or interference/diffraction by slits.)
2. Describe and quantify behavior of electric forces, fields, potential energy, and potentials. (E.g., given certain materials, or configuration of point charges, apply superposition to find net result at a certain location.)
3. Describe and apply conservation laws of current and potentials to circuits. (E.g., given circuit with ideal/non-ideal emfs, resistors, capacitors, switches, determine currents and potential differences.)
4. Describe and quantify behavior of magnetic forces, fields, fluxes, and induction. (E.g., given configuration of current-carrying wires/loops, determine resulting forces, induced emfs, or induced currents on other objects, or in time-varying circuits.)
5. Describe and quantify phenomena in modern (post 19th century) physics such as relativity, atomic physics, nuclear physics, etc. (E.g., describe why certain systems demand non-classical models, and be able to quantify behaviors of these systems.)

Required Textbook/Materials

Please contact me if you have problems purchasing or accessing the textbook; using a scientific/graphic calculator; or with scanning and uploading written work using a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

• Physics (12th Edition) by John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson, David Young and Shane Stadler. This course is part of the Cuesta College First Day delivery program, with access to the e-textbook at a discounted price. Cuesta College will bill you for the e-textbook at the end of the second week of the semester. You can opt out of paying for the online e-textbook and purchase a bound or loose-leaf hardcopy of the textbook through the Cuesta College Bookstore or other book retailers. For more information and FAQs go to customercare.bncollege.com.
• Scientific calculator; graphing capabilities optional. (Use of a calculator application during exams is not permitted.)
• A camera-enabled smartphone, tablet, or laptop webcam to upload your written work in an image (JPEG, HEIC, GIF, PNG) or a compatible document (DOC, PDF) format.

Accommodations

You can arrange reasonable learning accommodations for this course (or for selected components that may be inherently inaccessible) through Cuesta College Disabled Student Programs & Services, and they coordinate with you and me on the specific details.

Course Standards

In this course, I will help you learn to the best of their ability, and be fair in grading your work. In return, you can always ask for help and/or extensions on difficult assignments, and submit only your own individual work. Together we can do this, and successfully explore the physical world and understand how it works!

No AI: you are prohibited from using AI for all assignments. Demonstrate what you learned in completing assignments, and share your experiences with other students in discussion boards. Show your skills and share your thoughts!

(Review the Cuesta College Student Code of Conduct for a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.)