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Fall 2026Master the second half of introductory physics without needing calculus.
College Physics II takes the ideas that usually feel disconnected -- heat, electric fields, circuits, magnetism, waves, optics, and modern physics -- and turns them into one coherent algebra-based sequence. Students build the models, representations, and problem-solving habits they need before the course starts moving fast.
Use this path for a full second-semester physics course: steady practice, prerequisite-aware review, and clear coverage of the topics most likely to decide the grade.
College Physics II Learning Outcomes
Thermodynamics
• Connect temperature, pressure, and thermal energy to microscopic particle motion and ideal-gas behavior.
• Use PV diagrams, the ideal gas law, and the first law of thermodynamics to reason about energy transfer, heating, cooling, and work.
• Treat entropy and the second law qualitatively, emphasizing energy spreading and thermal equilibrium.
Electric Force, Field, and Potential
• Use Coulomb's law and field models to reason about interactions among charged particles and simple charge distributions.
• Connect electric potential energy, electric potential, and electric fields across graphs, diagrams, and equations.
• Analyze parallel-plate capacitors and energy storage in standard algebra-based configurations.
Electric Circuits
• Analyze current, resistance, potential difference, and power in DC circuits using circuit diagrams and measurements.
• Combine Kirchhoff-style reasoning with series and parallel relationships for resistors, batteries, meters, and capacitors.
• Describe RC charging and discharging qualitatively, focusing on initial and final states rather than full time-dependent models.
Magnetism and Electromagnetism
• Model magnetic fields produced by magnets and currents, and analyze magnetic forces on moving charges and current-carrying wires.
• Use magnetic flux, Faraday's law, and Lenz's law to explain induced currents and changing-field situations.
• Connect electromagnetic induction to generators, transformers, and energy transfer without requiring calculus-based field models.
Geometric Optics
• Use ray models to describe reflection, refraction, image formation, and optical instruments.
• Analyze plane mirrors, spherical mirrors, and thin lenses with diagrams and algebraic relationships.
• Connect image properties to physical setups: real versus virtual, upright versus inverted, magnification, and object distance.
Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics
• Describe mechanical waves, standing waves, sound, and resonance plus qualitative Doppler-effect situations.
• Use interference, diffraction, and path-length reasoning to explain physical optics phenomena.
• Relate electromagnetic waves to wavelength, frequency, spectrum ordering, and wave-matter interactions.
Modern Physics
• Use photon models, blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and Compton scattering to reason about light-matter interactions.
• Interpret energy-level diagrams, emission and absorption spectra, and single-electron atomic transitions.
• Connect nuclear processes, mass-energy equivalence, and conservation laws at the algebra-based introductory level.
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