Syllabus
Introduction to Experimental Physics
| Title | Introduction
to
Experimental
Physics |
| Term | Fall 2015 |
| Credits | 2 |
| Time | Tuesday 1:30-4.50 |
| Place | Brown Science/Sci 117-117A |
| Level | Introductory |
| Faculty | Salimbeni |
| Office Hours: | by appointment (M, Tu, W, F)
|
| Tutor | TBD |
A laboratory course intended to give an introduction to experimental methods in physics. Topics include mechanics and thermodynamics. You will acquire familiarity with a variety of laboratory instruments, techniques and statistical tools. You will also learn how to record and present your observations and results. This class will help you to further develop experimental common sense and "physical intuition".
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in General Physics I or permission of the instructor
Textbook
Introduction to Error Analysis by Taylor
Course Policies & Grading
Attendance and Participation
Attending the lessons and actively participating in class are essential to successfully pass this course. During the semester you are allowed up to 1 absence for illness, family emergencies, religious observance, etc. Your grade will drop by 7 points for each absence beyond the first one. Upon prior discussion with me you can make up one class on your own time. You will not receive any credit for this course if you missed more than a total of 5 classes. Please, come on time to class, three late arrivals will be considered an absence.
Readings, Participation
You are required to participate and collaborate with other students during class discussions, group work and experiments. You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the material and ask questions. Reading the material is critical for having a productive class time, failing to prepare will affect the learning of you and your classmates. Reading assignments and quality of participation are part of your grade (15% of your final grade).
Homework and Lab reports
Homework will be assigned weekly. For each experiment you will produce a lab report. By the end of the semester you will have built a portfolio containing all of your work. The grade associated with your portfolio is worth 75% of your final grade. Of this 75%, 20% will be the grade of the final experiment.
Students are encouraged to work together on the homework assignments. However, your final write-up of the assignment must represent your own understanding; copying another person's work is plagiarism and will result in no credit for that assignment. Laboratory write-ups will sometimes require group effort and sometimes your individual work.
Homework and Lab reports are an essential tool to learn and to receive feedback. For this reason it is important that you hand in your work on time.
Police for late Lab work
This is how late work will affect your grades:
days of delay percentage of the actual grade
--------------- -----------------------------------------
1 to 3 90%
3 to 7 80%
8 to 15 60%
15 to 30 40%
over 30 it will not be accepted
Special arrangements for late work can be obtained under very special circumstances agreed through prior discussion with me.
Plagiarism
Academic Honesty is expected of all scientists, and also of all students. Cheating on homework or the final exam will result in no credit.
If you are not sure on how to use a source, please check this
link on the library webpage.
Grading
|
|
| 75% | Weekly homework and Lab reports |
| 15% | Readings, quality of participation and pre-class assignments are part of your grade |
Grade Letters
| Highest | Lowest | Letter |
| 100.00 | 93.00 | A |
| 92.99 | 90.00 | A- |
| 89.99 | 87.00 | B+ |
| 86.99 | 83.00 | B |
| 82.99 | 80.00 | B- |
| 79.99 | 77.00 | C+ |
| 76.99 | 73.00 | C |
| 72.99 | 70.00 | C- |
| 69.99 | 67.00 | D+ |
| 66.99 | 60.00 | D |
| 59.99 | 0.00 | F |
month topic and experiment
----- -----
Sep 1 Uncertainties - Hook’s Law
2 Propagation of Uncertainties - Density Measurement
3 Statistical analysis of random uncertainties - Free Fall
4 Projectile Motion
Oct 5 Atwood’s Machine Part I
6 Measurement of Coefficient of Friction
7 Pendulum
8 Conservation of Momentum and Energy
Nov 9 Torque
10 Atwood’s Machine Part II
11 Open Laboratory day
12 Final experiment
Dec 13 Final experiment
