Spring 2005 schedule
section 001 - Tu  1:40-3:30, Grote 317

office hours:  according to schedule on my office door or by appointment.

• Catalog description
• Course objectives
• General Description
• Attendance
• Schedule
• Lab Report Format
• Laboratory Requirements
• Grading Scale
• Laboratory manual

Physics 280 Principles of Physics Laboratory - Mechanics and Heat (1)

Our goal in the Physics 280 Laboratory is to provide you with “hands-on” experience with some of the laws and methods of analysis that physicists have used in order to understand the world around us.  Many of the lab exercises are computer-assisted, meaning that computers will be used in the taking and/or analysis of experimental data.  The lab activities are designed to help you appreciate not only the power of physical laws in helping physicists understand their data, but also the role that experimental error plays in constraining our interpretations.

(a) Physics 280 Laboratory Manual. Required. 

(b) Other items which you should bring to all labs: a scientific calculator, a protractor, a 30 cm plastic ruler, and an approved laboratory notebook (#43-645 or #54-641), available from the University Bookstore. 

(c) It will be assumed that you have a copy of the text currently in use for Physics 230  (Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th edition, vol.1, by Paul A. Tipler and Gene Mosca).

Attendance at all laboratory sessions is required. If you miss a session, you will get zero for this lab. I may make exceptions and give you a make up session if I am convinced that you were ill, had a death in the family, or were involved in a similar emergency.

If you are late to a lab session for more than 10 minutes, you are not allowed to perform the experiment and you will get zero for this lab, unless other arrangement has been made.

Students are responsible for all information that is given in class. 

Reports are due by 2 p.m. of the due date to the mail box on Dr. Allen's door (Grote 347).

Your lab report is the original documented record of all the work you have performed regarding to each lab experiment. EACH PERSON MUST TURN IN HIS/HER OWN SEPARATE LAB REPORT.

YOUR LAB REPORT SHOULD CONTAIN:

1. Title of experiment
2. Date performed
3. Your name, Partner(s) (if any)
4. The goals of the experiment
5. Theoretical background
6. Sketch of the experimental set-up
7.  Experimental procedure
8. Experimental data
9. Calculations/ graphs/ results
10.  Conclusions: obtained results, comparison with known parameters, discussion of errors and sources of errors.

Parts from 1 to 7 must be handwritten, parts 9 and 10 must be typed. The parts of the lab must be stapled in the proper order. Presentation of your report is important.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE LABORATORY SESSION

You should study the description of the experiment and start to write your lab report BEFORE the lab session. Print the report (front) page for a given experiment and fill it out. Parts 1 through 7 of your lab report (pre-lab) must be written up (write by hand, do not type!!)  before the lab session and turned in during the first 5 minutes of the lab session. It will be graded together with the rest of your lab report. It is worth 20% of your lab grade. Late pre-labs are not accepted, unless prior arrangements have been made.

LABORATORY SESSION

During the laboratory session in class you should record all work you have performed. All activities, experimental data, results, etc., should be recorded as they occur, in ink. No erasures should be made. A single line through the "wrong material" is sufficient, with any corrections or change noted above or beside it. This will allow for the recover of information which, later, may be prove to be valuable.

If your data is taken in columns (as is typical), simply include the units and estimated error of the measurements once in the column heading. 

Your lab results should be RECORDED IN DUPLICATE. You can use "Laboratory research notebook" or "Computational notebook", which are available at the UTC Bookstore (Identifying number is 43-645 or 54-641). Before leaving the class, you should tear out the yellow (carbon) sheet(s) and leave them with your instructor, who should initial the first page before you leave.  These yellow sheets will be kept until the end of the semester as proof that you have performed this experiment.  Attach a Xerox copy of the white page to your lab report.

HOW TO FINISH YOUR LAB REPORT

At home you need to perform the analysis of your experimental data. Make necessary calculations (do not forget to write down an example of your calculations), draw graphs, obtain results, round them properly, estimate experimental errors.

If the experiment requires you to perform several trials of the same process, you should only provide one calculation example. Statistical parameters such as averages and standard deviations can be done via calculator/computer -- no need to show how these calculations are done, but the report should be clear as to which data are being averaged, etc.  Include all error calculations, properly labeled, in this section. 

Each GRAPH, attached to appropriate place in your report must have the following: Title; Properly labeled coordinate axes WITH UNITS; Clearly marked data points with error bars; Analysis/equation that best fits your data.

You need to include a brief statement of what values were found for the experimental results and their associated errors.  Often, the results can simply be presented in a table.

The most important part of your lab report is CONCLUSION where you need to evaluate the obtained results, compare them with known parameters, determine of whether or not a hypothesis (if stated in the objectives) was satisfied, discuss the errors and sources of errors, identify which error(s) were the most  important. Make sure that you understand the difference between errors and mistakes. The experimental errors are unavoidable and they can be and should be evaluated from the measurements uncertainties. Human mistakes are NOT errors, they should be avoided. They cannot be used to explain the results  of your experiments. Do not include them in the sources of errors.

If you have forgotten how to round the results, estimate experimental errors, make graphs, perform analysis of the curves, you may ask you instructor or Mr. Jack Pitkin,  for help materials available in the laboratory.

You should work on your lab reports individually. If you receive help from anyone else, place their name(s) under yours on the front page. If I find that two students copied their lab reports from each other and did not acknowledge the received help, the lab report will be returned ungraded, and no one student will receive credit for this lab.

You need to turn in your lab report by the due date (see the schedule). No lab reports will be accepted if they are late, unless other arrangements have been made. No lab reports will be accepted after the due date of the last lab report.

Lab reports will be graded for both form and content.  Points will be subtracted from reports which are messy or illegible. Your reports will be returned after grading - please keep them carefully.  For the Laboratory Final Exam, students will be allowed to refer to their lab reports, but will not be allowed to use their lab manuals.

Points will be deducted for sloppy or incomplete work.  

The grades for each lab report will be added to produce the 80% of final grade for the course. Final exam - 20% of the course.

If you are a student with a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) and think that you might need special assistance or a special accommodations in this class or any other class, call the Office for Students with Disabilities/College Access Program at 425-4006 or come by the office - 110 Frist Hall.