General Physics II

Course Description

PHY1054C – General Physics II is the second semester of the algebra-based introductory physics sequence, covering electricity, magnetism, optics, and an introduction to modern physics. The C suffix reflects an integrated laboratory; Daytona State College titles it General Physics II and Lab.

Algebra-based is the defining fact about this course and the source of most confusion around it. It uses algebra and trigonometry rather than calculus, and it serves students in the health sciences, architecture, and general science — not engineering or physics majors, who need the calculus-based sequence. Choosing the wrong sequence is the single most expensive mistake a student can make here; see Special Information.

Content covers electrostatics — charge, Coulomb's law, electric field and potential; capacitance; direct current circuits — current, resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel combinations, and Kirchhoff's rules; magnetism — magnetic fields, forces on charges and currents, and sources of magnetic field; electromagnetic induction — Faraday's and Lenz's laws; alternating current circuits; electromagnetic waves; geometric optics — reflection, refraction, mirrors, and lenses; physical optics — interference, diffraction, and polarization; and modern physics — relativity, quantum concepts, atomic structure, and nuclear physics at an introductory level.

The laboratory component involves measurement, circuit construction, optical benches, error analysis, and formal lab reports. It is a substantial share of the grade and cannot be made up from notes.

Offered at approximately 14 Florida institutions, under several numbers — see the numbering caution below.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Apply Coulomb's law to determine forces between point charges.
• Calculate electric fields and potentials for simple charge distributions.
• Relate electric potential energy and potential difference to work and motion of charges.
• Analyze capacitors and capacitor combinations and calculate stored energy.
• Apply Ohm's law and analyze series and parallel resistive circuits.
• Apply Kirchhoff's rules to multi-loop circuits.
• Calculate power dissipation and energy use in circuits.
• Determine magnetic forces on moving charges and current-carrying conductors.
• Calculate magnetic fields produced by currents in simple geometries.
• Apply Faraday's and Lenz's laws to determine induced EMF and current direction.
• Describe alternating current circuits and the behavior of RLC elements.
• Describe electromagnetic waves and the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Apply the laws of reflection and refraction and solve mirror and lens problems.
• Explain interference, diffraction, and polarization.
• Describe introductory concepts in relativity, quantum physics, and nuclear physics.
• Conduct laboratory experiments, analyze data with appropriate error treatment, and report results.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe medical and biological applications of electricity and magnetism.
• Describe the physics underlying medical imaging modalities.
• Describe radioactivity, half-life, and radiation safety.
• Describe semiconductor and solid-state basics.
• Use computational or simulation tools to model physical systems.
• Describe optical instruments including the eye, microscope, and telescope.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Electric charge and force — conductors, insulators, and Coulomb's law.
• Electric field — field lines, superposition, and Gauss's law qualitatively.
• Electric potential — potential energy, potential difference, and equipotentials.
• Capacitance — capacitors, dielectrics, combinations, and stored energy.
• Current and resistance — Ohm's law, resistivity, and power.
• DC circuits — series, parallel, Kirchhoff's rules, and RC circuits.
• Magnetic fields and forces — on charges, on currents, and torque on loops.
• Sources of magnetic field — wires, loops, and solenoids; Ampère's law.
• Electromagnetic induction — Faraday's law, Lenz's law, generators, and transformers.
• AC circuits — RMS values, reactance, impedance, and resonance.
• Electromagnetic waves — propagation, energy, and the spectrum.
• Geometric optics — reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, mirrors, and lenses.
• Physical optics — interference, thin films, diffraction, and polarization.
• Relativity — postulates, time dilation, and length contraction.
• Quantum and atomic physics — photoelectric effect, photons, and atomic spectra.
• Nuclear physics — structure, radioactivity, decay, and half-life.
• Laboratory — measurement, circuits, optics, error analysis, and formal reporting.

Optional Topics

• Biomedical applications of electricity and magnetism.
• Physics of medical imaging.
• Radiation safety and dosimetry basics.
• Semiconductors and electronics.
• Optical instruments and the human eye.
• Computational modeling and simulation.

Resources & Tools

• College Physics (Serway & Vuille), Cengage — the most common algebra-based text.
• College Physics (Young) or Physics (Cutnell & Johnson) — common alternatives.
• OpenStax College Physics — free, peer-reviewed, and adopted by a growing number of Florida institutions; worth asking about, since physics texts are expensive.
• Online homework platforms — WebAssign, Mastering Physics, or Expert TA; access is usually required and is a real cost.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado) — free, excellent for circuits, optics, and fields; genuinely useful for building intuition.
• Scientific calculator — required; many instructors prohibit graphing or symbolic calculators on examinations, so check early.
• Laboratory equipment — multimeters, power supplies, breadboards, optical benches, and data acquisition systems.
• Campus tutoring or learning center — free and consistently underused in physics.

Career Pathways

This course is a prerequisite rather than a credential. It supports:

• Health professions — physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy, and some nursing and allied health programs require a year of algebra-based physics with laboratory.
• Pre-medical and pre-dental study — where either sequence is accepted by most programs, and physics content appears on the MCAT and DAT.
• Radiologic and imaging sciences — the physics underlying RTE coursework.
• Architecture and construction — where the algebra-based sequence is typically the requirement.
• Science teaching — elementary and middle grades preparation.
• General science and environmental programs.

Students intending engineering, physics, chemistry, or computer engineering need the calculus-based sequence instead — this course will not satisfy those majors.

Special Information

⚠ Choose the right sequence — and know that the algebra-based one has two numbers

This is the most consequential thing on this page. Florida carries the algebra-based sequence under two different SCNS numbers, and separately carries a calculus-based sequence that is not interchangeable with either:

Two practical consequences. First, SCNS equivalency applies to the same number at the same level, never across numbers — PHY1054 and PHY2054 cover the same material but are different numbers, so a receiving program may require the specific one it lists. Second, and more expensive: a student who takes the algebra-based sequence and then transfers into an engineering program will generally have to retake a full year of calculus-based physics. Decide the major first, then pick the sequence, and confirm the number with the receiving institution.

The prerequisite is real

PHY1053 (or the local equivalent) is required, along with college algebra and trigonometry — commonly MAC1114 or equivalent. Trigonometry in particular is used constantly in this course, in vector components, in circuit phase relationships, and throughout optics. Students shaky on trigonometry should address it before the term starts rather than during it.

The second semester is conceptually harder than the first

Mechanics can be visualized; fields cannot. Students who did well in PHY1053 by picturing the situation often struggle in the first weeks here because electric and magnetic fields have no everyday analogue, and the mathematics is more abstract. The approach that works is consistent problem solving — many problems, worked without looking at solutions first — combined with simulations such as PhET to build physical intuition. Falling two weeks behind in this course is very difficult to recover from.

The laboratory is not a formality

The C suffix means the laboratory is integrated and graded as part of the course; at institutions using the split numbering, the lab is a separate corequisite that must be passed. Laboratory work involves formal reports with error analysis and cannot be made up by reading. Attendance policies for labs are typically stricter than for lecture.

Transfer and general education

The course carries laboratory science general education credit at Florida institutions and transfers among Florida public institutions under SCNS. Health professions programs generally require the full year — both semesters with laboratory — so students should not stop after the first course if the target program specifies a year.