Boston University PY106 - Physics II
PY105/6 Physics is a two-semester course sequence covering fundamental
physics. PY105, the first semester, this course, covers classical
mechanics and thermodynamics. PY106, the second semester, this course, covers
electricity, magnetism and modern physics. Both courses are intended
primarily for science majors and pre-medical/pre-health students. Most
students take PY105/6 in the same academic year, on sequence, in the
studio format, that is PY105 during the fall semester and PY106 during
the spring semester. PY105 is also offered as a lecture-based course in
the Spring semester and also during summer sessions 1 and 2.
PY106 studio is the on-sequence course, implemented in a studio
format. There are 6 studio sections, each with
~85 students (over 500 students total) integrating lecture, discussion, and
lab. All studio sections cover the same material using the same
curriculum. Our studio course is an engaged experience for students,
minimizing explaining concepts to you in "lecture" and maximizing
student collaboration and hands-on problem solving at smart- and
white-boards as well as in labs. There are two main goals in this course:
one is to become familiar with a range of physics concepts, and the
other is to learn, through training, to apply these concepts to solving
problems.
Each section is supported by a professor, two teaching fellows and two
undergraduate learning assistants. We hold office hours for the entire
course, across all sections, offering times throughout every day of the
week (an approximately combined 40 hours of availability) as well as
other resources such as weekly content/problem solving sessions, content
reviews, quiz reviews, and 1:1 meeting availability.
For Spring 2026: See date-stamped announcements below. We will maintain this page
until our course websites go live.
Want to get a head start? 1-2 weeks before first class...
- Obtain a scientific calculator (NOT a mobile phone app) which has
sine,
cosine, exponential and their inverse functions. Any will do, but
preferrably one with a multi-line display so you can double check
and redo your calculations step by step. For
example: TI-30XIIS, TI-30XS Multiview, TI-36X Pro, Casio fx-115ES,
Casio fx-991CW.
- Math/Physics Prep
Packet
- Review Gravitation (see
Lecture Notes,
Gravitation
Video (7 minutes),
Gravitation Worksheet and see
Gravitation
Worksheet Solutions)
- From PY105, review vectors and trigonometry (see Math/Physics Prep
Packet), Newton's Laws, Conservation of Energy, Simple Harmonic
Motion. That's Ch. 4, 7, and
16 from
College Physics (OpenStax). If you want the "BU
feel" you can check out Ch. 3, 7, and 12 from
Essential Physics I (Duffy) or go over the
e-Book from PY105's Top Hat.
- Once you feel comfortable with PY105 content, if you want to get
a head start on this course, read Ch. 18 and 19
from College Physics (OpenStax). Again, if you want the
"BU-feel" of how we explain these concepts, you can check out Ch. 16 and 17 from
Essential Physics II (Duffy). But College
Physics is probably a better read to prepare as it's more "glitzy" with
pictures, etc.
- You can complement your reading with the associated
simulations (many of which are referenced in the text):
- A survey of physics via animation, a must watch:
Animation vs. Physics (16 min by Alan Becker,
2023)
- Context for college physics, a must watch:
Fun to Imagine with Richard Feynman (7:30 clip
on "Why?")
- Scale: Powers of
Ten with Morgan Freeman (10 minute clip)
Announcements and Frequently Asked Questions
- 11.06.2025 - Faculty Assignments - The
faculty assignments have been announced. They are:
- S1 (MWF 800 am - 945 am) - Yumi Kim
- S2 (MWF 1010 am - 1155 am) - Paul Trunfio
- S3 (MWF 1220 pm - 205 pm) - Michael El-Batanouny
- S4 (MWF 230 pm - 415 pm) - Zeynep Demiragli
- S5 (MWF 430 pm - 615 pm) - Wanzheng Hu
- S6 (MW 630 pm - 915 pm) - Raj Mohanty
- 10.03.2025 - Spring 2026 Registration -
PY106 registration begins October 31 (Friday) for Seniors and November 7
(Friday) for Juniors. The section you register for should be the section
you intend to actually attend. Also, we currently do not know who the
instructors are at this time. So, every section is TBD.
- 10.02.2025 - Exam Block Registration
Conflicts - The main exam block conflicts we are aware of
are with CH102 (Chemistry II, Abrams, et al) and BB421
(Biochemistry I, Tolan). If you have an exam block conflict you
will be unable to register for both courses. Please email us at
studiopy@bu.edu.
- 10.01.2025 - Spring 2026 Exam Dates -
We will have 4 exams throughout the semester, all held during our
Tuesday exam block. The dates have been set: 2/10, 3/3, 3/31 and 4/28.
- 08.31.2025 -
How can I manage the pace of the course and do you have
suggestions for how to be successful and minimize stress?
This is a very good question, as the course is fast-paced, surveys a
lot of physics, and is
also more abstract than PY105. If you recently took PY105 (in Fall
semester studio), then this is a really good prepartion for the spring
semester, as it will be the same collaborative style. If you took
PY105 at some other time, or as lecture-format, then coming in
prepared (see above) is really advisable. As you read through the
syllabus, from last year, no matter how you look at it, the fact is this course is
fast-paced and we are expecting a lot from you.
The way to not get overwhelmed by the pace, is to work
towards a routine for yourself and follow it! We will certainly help
you achieve this, partly because we will be doing our best to build a
"we're all in this" community atmosphere, so you won't feel alone. We
will provide real-world applications (particularly in health and
medicine) so that you can see physics in action.
Finally, we will build into the schedule a full slate of
office hours and review sessions, and small group
extra help sessions. Our goal in teaching, and hopefully your goal in
learning, is that the course and all the structures we are building in
support you so that nobody is left behind.
- 08.31.2025 - If you have any questions, please e-mail
to: studiopy@bu.edu. I will provide updates here with any FAQ's.
Paul Trunfio Homepage