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There are 4 modules in this course
This first course serves as an introduction to the physics of electricity and magnetism. Upon completion, learners will understand how mathematical laws and conservation principles describe fields and how these fields are related to electrical circuits. Learners will gain experience in solving physics problems with tools such as graphical analysis, algebra, vector analysis, and calculus. This first course covers Charge, Electric Forces, and Electric Fields. Each of the three modules contains reading links to a free textbook, complete video lectures, conceptual quizzes, and a set of homework problems. Once the modules are completed, the course ends with an exam. This comprehensive course is similar in detail and rigor to those taught on-campus at Rice. It will thoroughly prepare learners for their upcoming introductory physics courses or more advanced courses in physics.
What's included
17 videos5 readings13 assignments
Show info about module content
17 videos•Total 100 minutes
Microscopic Charges•7 minutes
Ions•4 minutes
The Teflon Rod•5 minutes
Charge by Rubbing•6 minutes
Force Between Charges•6 minutes
Feynman's Gedanken solution•7 minutes
Vector Force•6 minutes
Adding Forces 1•7 minutes
Adding Forces 2•4 minutes
Abjection of Inspection•9 minutes
Charge in Materials•6 minutes
Polarize and Separate•6 minutes
Ground•5 minutes
Force on Neutral Metal•6 minutes
Franklin's Bell•7 minutes
Too Much Charge!•8 minutes
TT Awkward Things to Say•2 minutes
5 readings•Total 50 minutes
Welcome!•10 minutes
Grading Philosophy and Advice•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
13 assignments•Total 264 minutes
Charge! Homework•240 minutes
Weird Atom•2 minutes
Boride•2 minutes
A Kilo of Charge•2 minutes
Triboelectric Series•2 minutes
Fur and Glass•2 minutes
Feynman's Gedanken problem•2 minutes
Force and Separation•2 minutes
Force Direction 1D•2 minutes
Force Direction 2D•2 minutes
Polarize!•2 minutes
Induce!•2 minutes
Attract!•2 minutes
Electric Field
Module 2•7 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
16 videos3 readings8 assignments
Show info about module content
16 videos•Total 109 minutes
What is a Field?•4 minutes
The Electric Field•7 minutes
Electric Field of Point Charges •7 minutes
Linear Charge Distribution•5 minutes
Differential Elements•6 minutes
Summing It Up•9 minutes
Another Charged Rod Problem•9 minutes
Another Charged Rod Solution•8 minutes
Saved by Symmetry•8 minutes
Motion in a Uniform Field•7 minutes
Electrostatic Windmill•4 minutes
Field Lines•6 minutes
Line Density•6 minutes
Surface and Volume Charge Density•10 minutes
Field Near a Charged Disk: Setup•8 minutes
Field Near a Charged Disk: Answer•6 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
8 assignments•Total 263 minutes
Electric Field Homework•240 minutes
Scalar or Vector?•2 minutes
Field around Two Charges•6 minutes
Breaking Up the Continuum•2 minutes
ZOSO•5 minutes
Electron's Motion•4 minutes
Field Lines•2 minutes
Charged Shell•2 minutes
Gauss's Law
Module 3•7 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
17 videos3 readings10 assignments
Show info about module content
17 videos•Total 106 minutes
The Concept of Vector Flux•3 minutes
The Mathematics of Vector Flux•3 minutes
Vector Flux Examples•4 minutes
Vector Flux of a Curved Surface•4 minutes
Vector Flux of a Closed Surface•4 minutes
Statement of Gauss's Law•4 minutes
Gauss's Law Examples•10 minutes
Gauss's Law for a Point Charge•9 minutes
Gauss's Law for a Line of Charge•15 minutes
Gauss's Law for a Charged Plane•12 minutes
Gauss's Law for a Charged Sphere•11 minutes
Electric Field Inside a Conductor•9 minutes
Electric Field Outside a Conductor•5 minutes
Electric Field at a Conductor Surface•6 minutes
Electrostatic Shielding•4 minutes
Electrostatic Shielding Demo•4 minutes
Top Ten Rejected Strategies to get More Physics Majors•2 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
University Physics•10 minutes
10 assignments•Total 261 minutes
Gauss's Law Homework•240 minutes
Surfaces in Fields•2 minutes
Cylinder Flux•2 minutes
Non-Uniform Field Flux•2 minutes
Moon Make-Believe•2 minutes
Ranking the Flux•2 minutes
E Field•2 minutes
Line and Cube•2 minutes
Distance Dependence•2 minutes
Conducting Shell•5 minutes
EXAM
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 assignment•Total 120 minutes
EXAM•120 minutes
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Instructor
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We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Rice University is consistently ranked among the top 20 universities in the U.S. and the top 100 in the world. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy.
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Learner reviews
4.7
201 reviews
5 stars
77.61%
4 stars
16.41%
3 stars
2.48%
2 stars
1.49%
1 star
1.99%
Showing 3 of 201
A
AD
4·
Reviewed on Mar 13, 2023
Fundamentally strong course. But I faced little difficulty while entering scientific notations there's was no tool available and no instructions in some questions.
W
WP
5·
Reviewed on Apr 3, 2025
some of entries on homework test 2 appear to wrong answers how will I ever know?
K
KR
4·
Reviewed on Oct 10, 2021
Some technical issues with the homework submission parsing, and sometimes you said Micro Coulombs but used normal.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.