Physics
451L Physics
451L
[OVERVIEW][SYLLABUS][GRADING][DUE DATES][EXPERIMENTS][NMT][PHYSICS]
Physics 451L: Senior Laboratory
2 cr, 6 lab hours
Prerequisites: PHYS 232 and senior status, or consent of instructor
Experiments in atomic, nuclear, and solid-state physics.
Workman Center 195
Mondays & Wednesdays 3:00pm
Introduction to Error Analysis by J. R. Taylor
The Art of Experimental Physics by Melissinos
Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure by Herzberg
Lab handouts
Equipment manuals
Workman 3**, ext. 5226
Office Hours: ***************
Workman 110, ext. 5329
Office Hours: ***************
Workman 333, ext. 5328
General:
This is the senior level laboratory course. It is designed to given students an opportunity to review and develop experimental technique, witness principles of quatum mechanica and atomic and nuclear physics in action, as well as develop skills in writting for scientific journals. Class time will be used of discussion of theory and procedure, so stundents should expect to devote considerable time outside of class to running experiments.
Safety:
Safety hazards, if any, will be discussed during normal class meetings. All students must be briefed on safety precautions before using any equipment. Also, do not remove any equipment from the laboratory room.
Security:
The laboratory will remain locked at all times when not in use. Dr. Minschwaner and Barry Sabol have keys to the lab. Students may also check out keys from Mr. Sabol. Key sign-out and key transfer forms are available in the lab and in Mr. Sabol's office. Use the sign-out form when aquiring the key from Mr. Sabol and the transfer form when aquiring it from another student. A copy of each form should be posted on the door of the lab. Please return the key directly to Mr. Sabol after evening or weekend use. (Do not slide the key under the door!)
In the absence of staff, the student who is currently signed out with the key is responsible for safety and security in the lab. All students should sign in and out of the log book when working in the lab. Be sure to lock the door when leaving.
Assignments:
Students are expected to select and complete four (4) of the experiments listed below. For each experiment, a concise abstract must be written. In addition, students must coose one (1) of the experiments they completed and write a complete report. Details on abstracts and the write-up are given below.
Problems from Taylor will be assigned and discussed in class.
Approximatly one-half of the lecture time will be devoted to background theory and procedures for each of the experiments. The remaining time will be spent discussing error analysis and uncertainties. We will also concentrate on the nuts and bolts of writing a good scientific abstract.
Abstracts:
Abstracts should be one page, preferably 1-2 paragraphs. They need to be as concise as possible. A good guide would be: 1-3 sentences briefly explaining theory and purpose behind the experiment. For each step of the experiment, 1-2 sentences describing the procedure and the results, including error estimates. Be sure to briefly (1 sentence) explain how you arrived at your error estimates. Sample abstracts are available from Dr. Minschwaner.
The full write-up will, of course, be more detailed than the abstracts. In general, they should contain 1) an abstract, 2) an introduction, 3) a disccussion of theory, 4) description of procedures (and any dificulties), 5) results including any tables and graphs when appropriate, 6) a discussion or conclusion.
The grading policy for this course is as follows:
Abstract 1 (15%)
Abstract 2 (15%)
Abastract 3 (15%)
Abstract 4 & Full Write-up (15%)
Homework Assighnments (10%)
Final Exam (20%)
Late penalties for abstracts and the full write-up are 2% per day. Late penalties may also be assesed for homework assignments. All abastracts (except the first one) and the write-up must be in their final form when turned in.
The due dates for semester year are as follows:
Abstract 1 (draft): **/**
Abstract 1 (final): **/**
Abstract 2: **/**
Abstract 3: **/**
Abstract 4 & Write-up: **/**