PHYS 273

Energy and Environment

Section EC
Winter 2024
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of your eConcordia portal.

Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control,

the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

About this Course

**This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of your eConcordia portal.

Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control,

the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

This syllabus is subject to change until the start

About This Course

This is a course offered by the Department of Physics.

NOTE: Students registered in Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Electrical and Mechanical

Engineering programs may not take this course for credit.

Instructor

Instructor: Dr. Mario D’Amico

Instructor Contact Information: phys273@econcordia.com

This email address allows you to contact the Professor directly. If you have any questions or
concerns about the course that are specific to you, or if there is a delay in hearing back from
your TA, please do not hesitate to use this email.

For questions or concerns regarding the course content, the course format, or anything else that
is of concern to all students, you are required to post on the discussion board. Please don’t
be shy, someone else is always wondering the same thing you are. Check the discussion board
frequently, it is a useful resource. You are also encouraged to answer other students’ posts if
you are able.

Note: Please, allow for a 24-hour response time during the week (Monday-Friday). Teaching
Assistants check the discussion posts once over the 48-hour weekend period and are not
available on statutory or university holidays.

TA Contact Information: available through the course website

Course Description

This course studies energy — a critical resource for civilization — its production and
consumption, and the associated environmental effects. The course starts with the concepts in
physics that are necessary to understand energy, such as: energy and energy transfer, power,
the conservation of energy, efficiency, and the laws of thermodynamics and entropy. An
overview of how energy is consumed globally is given as well as a discussion of the concept of
renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Major sources of energy production are
described, including fossil fuels, renewable energy sources, and nuclear energy. Global
environmental issues such as pollution and climate change are addressed, as is the concept of
sustainability.

No prior knowledge of mathematics or physics is required.

Course Material

The material for this course consists of the PHYS 273 course website which includes the
quizzes, videos, discussion board and other course material. All quiz and examination questions
will come from the course material itself. That is, you will only be questioned on the material that
appears in the online lessons. The textbook readings are for additional understanding only, and
you won’t be questioned directly on those additional readings.

Course Website

The course website can be accessed at www.econcordia.com

Your eConcordia account will be valid until the end of the term for which you are registered.

Your account will allow you to access the online course material, which includes videos, notes,
discussion boards, all graded course components, useful links, readings and many more
resources from the course website for the duration of the term.
Assessments
Graded Assessments

Quizzes A total of 3 quizzes will be given. 45%

Midterm Exam
The midterm will cover lessons 1-6 20%
(online eConcordia)

Final exam
The final exam is cumulative (all lessons) 35%
(online COLE)

Description of Graded Assessments

Quizzes: 45%

There are 3 quizzes throughout the course, one every four weeks.

Note: The number of questions, the type of questions, and the time allotted per quiz may vary
per quiz. If the deadline for writing a graded quiz has passed, the quiz can only be reopened for
valid reasons. Valid reasons include serious personal or medical reasons.

Also, please be aware that the graded quizzes are open for 24 hours on the graded quiz date. If
you are located outside this time zone, please make sure you are aware of the time difference
between your time zone and eastern time. The quizzes (as well as all other exams)
automatically close at the deadline. Please make sure you do not start a quiz too close to the
quiz closing time.

In addition, if you encounter technical issues within the week of the quiz, you must work with the
eConcordia help desk to resolve these issues before the quiz closing date. No quiz will be
reopened after April 5th.

Midterm: 20%

The midterm is comprised of a mixture of multiple-choice questions, short essay questions, and
one-word answers. The midterm exam covers lessons 1 to 6. The passing score is 50%. You will
have one (1) attempt to take the midterm.

Note: Precise details about the structure of the midterm exam will be posted close to the
midterm exam date.

Final exam: 35%

The final exam will be cumulative and may be comprised of a mix of multiple-choice questions,
one-word answers, and short essay answers. The date and time of the final exam is managed
by the exams office and will be announced later. The final exam will be held on COLE non-
proctored.

The final exam is worth 35%. The passing grade is 50% (17.5/35). **You must pass the final
exam to pass the course.

Note: Precise details about the structure of the final exam will be posted during the last week of
the course.

Please make sure you are aware of the policy towards exam conflicts including alternate or
deferred exams. Please visit: https://www.concordia.ca/students/exams/conflicts.html

A helpful Tip:

All assessments including quizzes and exams are open-book assessments. The questions on
the assessments are based on (and limited to) content from the course lessons (videos, quizzes,
…). It is recommended that you plan ahead and follow the lessons carefully.

Grades

In order to view your grades throughout the semester, click on the “My Grades” link in your
eConcordia portal.

It is your responsibility to ensure your work has been received (to be verified as outlined in your
assignment instructions) and to contact your TA via e-mail for clarification if you have any
questions concerning your grades.

Your final letter grade for the course will be posted in your MyConcordia Portal at the end of the
term.

Mark Breakdowns

Letter Grade Percentage (%) Letter Grade Percentage (%)

A+ 90 to 100 C 64 to 66

A 85 to 89 C- 60 to 63

A- 80 to 84 D+ 57 to 59

B+ 77 to 79 D 54 to 56

B 74 to 76 D- 50 to 53

B- 70 to 73 F Less than 50

C+ 67 to 69
Student Responsibilities:
1. If you do not complete a quiz/homework or other assessment, the assessment will not be
reopened except for serious medical or personal issues.
2. Although announcements of due dates may be posted, you should not rely on them as
reminders. You are responsible for ensuring that you are aware of all due dates found in
the course outline and in the course agenda as well as the topics covered in the
assessments.
3. Students must resolve any technical issues they have with their computer environment
early during the first weeks of the course. You are responsible for ensuring that you have
a reliable computer and internet connection. If you need help with your computer
environment, please contact the eConcordia help desk. If problems persist, you may try a
different computer and different location. The University has computer resources available
to students.
4. When answering questions, points may be deducted for incorrect statements along with
the points awarded for correct statements. If you feel a TA has unfairly graded your quiz or
exam, you can ask for a re-evaluation from the professor. However, you must accept
whatever the new grade is, even if it is lower than the grade offered by the TA.
5. For large classes such as this one, it is important that you contact your TA directly for all
questions. Contacting your TA will ensure that the course proceeds smoothly. The name
and email address of your TA is found on the eConcordia course page next to the course
image. Your TA will either answer your questions directly or will contact the professor for
the answers.
6. When contacting your TA or the professor, make sure to use a valid email address
associated with your Concordia student profile. Email messages received from
unrecognized email address will not be responded to.
7. The final exam date is scheduled by the Examinations Office. If you cannot write the final
exam at the scheduled date, you are responsible for communicating with the examinations
office and for applying to write an alternate or deferred exam.
See https://www.concordia.ca/students/exams/conflicts.html.
8. All dates and time mentioned in this outline are with respect to the Eastern Time Zone
(Montreal time).
Tutorial Companies
Please note that private tutorial companies, some of whom aggressively promote their services
on and off campus, are not authorized by Concordia University to distribute flyers on University
premises and may not use Concordia University facilities to promote or provide their services on
some flyers.

Concordia University and its academic departments do not have any affiliation with these
companies even though names such as JMSB, Concordia, or references to specific departments
often appear in a visible way.
Third Party Software/Websites
Here is an excerpt on Concordia's policy on Educational software or services developed and
owned by third parties, including those linked to textbooks, in-class surveys, lecture capture,
virtual classrooms, course assignments and quizzes can be invaluable tools for the development
and teaching of courses.

Third-Party software/websites that require personal information (name, email, student

number, etc.):

Students are advised that external software and/or websites will be used in the course and
students may be asked to submit or consent to the submission of personal information (for
example, name and email) to register for an online service. Students are responsible for reading
and deciding whether or not to agree to any applicable terms of use. Use of this software and
service is voluntary. Students who do not consent to the use the software or service should
identify themselves to the course instructor as soon as possible, and in all cases before the DNE
deadline, to discuss alternate modes of participation.

Third-party software/websites for work submission:

Students are advised that external software and/or websites will be used in the course and
students may be asked to submit or consent to the submission of their work to an online service.
Students are responsible for reading and deciding whether or not to agree to any applicable
terms of use. Use of this software and service is voluntary. Students who do not consent to the
use the software or service should identify themselves to the course instructor as soon as
possible to discuss alternate modes of participation that do not require them to give copyright or
the right to use their work to a third party.

By using the external software or websites, students agree to provide and share their work and
certain personal information (where applicable) with the website/software provider. Students are
advised that the University cannot guarantee the protection of intellectual property rights or
personal information provided to any website or software company. Intellectual property and
personal information held in foreign jurisdictions are subject to the laws of such jurisdictions.

Third-party technology to record a course:

Note that, as a part of this course, some or all of the lectures and/or other activities in this course
may be recorded. Recordings will be focused on the instructor and will normally exclude
students. It is possible, however, that your participation may be recorded. If you wish to ensure
that your image are not recorded, speak to your instructor as soon as possible.

Also, please note that you may not share recordings of your classes and that the instructor will
only share class recordings for the purpose of course delivery and development. Any other
sharing may be in violation of the law and applicable University policies, and may be subject to
penalties.
Important Information
Topic Link
Academic Integrity Academic Integrity
Concordia Educational
Technology Guidelines for
Educational Technology Guidelines
Faculty and Students (the
“Guidelines”)
Access Centre for Students with Disabilities ACSD
Concordia Library Citation & Style Guides How to cite...
Course Communication Tools Communication
eConcordia Policies Policies
Final Exams Information Final Exams
Helpdesk/Support FAQ
Refunds Refunds
Technical Requirements Technical Requirements
Tips for Studying Online Studying Tips
Tips on how to reach online learning goals (learning
How to Succeed @ eConcordia
modules)
How to install and use Zoom Zoom Information
 PHYS 273 - Energy and Environment
Agenda
Winter 2024
All deadlines indicated are on the due date listed by 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise
indicated.

Week 1 : January 15 - January 21

Review the Course Outline and Agenda

Navigate the Course Website

Lesson 1: Introduction to Energy

January 15 Classes begin, Winter term

January 15 Discussion Board opens at 2 PM
Week 2: January 22 - January 28

Lesson 2: Energy Transfer and the Conservation of Energy

Week 3: January 29 - February 4

Lesson 3: Thermodynamics, Heat Engines, Power Generation

January 29 Deadline to add winter‑term courses

Deadline for withdrawal with tuition refund (DNE) from winter‑term

January 29
courses
Week 4: February 5 - February 11

Lesson 4: Energy and The Earth

Week 5: February 12 - February 18

Lesson 5: Fossil Fuels

February 12 Quiz #1 (Lessons 1,2, 3, and 4) accessible between 8am-11:59PM

Week 6: February 19 - February 25

Lesson 6: Renewable Energy: Solar

 Mid-Term Break: February 26 - March 3
February 26 Reading week begins
Deadline to submit required documentation to register with the Access
February 29 Centre for Students with Disabilities and request exam
accommodations for the Winter 2024 final examination period
March 01 President's Holiday - University Closed
March 03 Reading week ends
Week 7: March 4 - March 10

Lesson 7: Renewable Energy: Other Types

March 07 Midterm Exam (Lessons 1-6), accessible between 8am-11:59PM

Week 8: March 11 - March 17

Lesson 8: Nuclear Energy

Week 9: March 18 - March 24

Lesson 9: Energy Conservation

March 18 Quiz #2 (Lesson 7, and 8) accessible between 8am-11:59PM

Week 10: March 25 - March 31

Lesson 10: Global Effects: Pollution

March 29 University Closed

March 30 University Closed
March 31 University Closed
Week 11: April 1 - April 7

Lesson 11: Global Effects: Climate Change

April 01 University Closed

Week 12: April 8 - April 14
April 08 Last day for instructor-scheduled tests or examinations
April 08 Quiz 3 (Lessons 9,10, and 11) accessible between 8am-11:59PM

Lesson 12: Climate Sustainability

Week 13: April 15 - April 17

April 15 Last day of classes
 Deadline for academic withdrawal (DISC) from two-term and winter-
April 17
term courses.
Examinations Period: April 18 - May 1

Final Exam date, time and location is posted on your Student Hub