PHYSICS 382: Advanced Lab
Laboratory: NSCI 135 2:45 – 5:45 PM T,R Office Hours: During all laboratory periods or at the GI by appointment. My schedule at the GI is uncertain; arrange an appointment via email or telephone prior to visiting. Contact: Natural Sciences Building: 474-6775 (V) T,W,R only Home 474-2337 (V) except 10 PM – 8 AM Textbooks: An Introduction to Error An alysis, by J.R. Taylor, University Science Books, Mill V alley, C alifornia, 2 nd edition 1997. Grading: Grades will be assigned in 15 point increments: 100-85 A, 84-70 B, 69-55 C, 54-40 D, < 40 F. Letter grades will reflect the standards set forth in the Grading System of the UAF Cat alog. I reserve the right to make adjustments to fin al course grades based on participation and work ethic demonstrated during the semester. Attendance: You are expected to attend both the laboratory and lecture sessions of the course for the entire scheduled time. As certain experiments develop, it is expected that you may depart early to conduct library research or complete an alysis and writing tasks. Check with the instructor prior to departing. Planned absences should be discussed in advance with the instructor. Unplanned absences can impact your grade and will have an impact on the completeness of your laboratory exercise and report. Habitu al tardiness or absenteeism affects not only your own performance, but that of your lab partner, too. Be prepared to justify not being in full attendance.Course OutlineThe purpose of this 3-credit course is twofold. The student is expected to gain experience in (1) the methods of experiment al physics through extensive and intensive exposure to the physics laboratory, and (2) the preparation of written scientific reports. This course is the second of two semesters (PHYS 381 and 382) that satisfies the writing-intensive (W) the UAF core curriculum communications requirement. The norm al procedure in the laboratory is for students, individu ally or in pairs, to perform four experiments during the semester. Each student is expected to prepare an individual written report for each of the experiments in a recognized scientific format. Historic ally, pairing becomes necessary as enrollment exceeds 3-4 students. During the course of each experiment the student will:
(this will require literature searches in the library, beyond reading the course texts);
Although it may not seem important now in an undergraduate course, an origin al laboratory notebook is the ultimate basis for claims of origin al work. This often overlooked aspect of science takes on great importance in the private sector, especi ally in the area of patent claims. All laboratory work in this course must be recorded in a bound laboratory notebook that is available for inspection throughout the semester. The notebook is used to create a permanent, detailed record of all aspects of your activities in the laboratory, including, but not limited to, clear diagrams of all experiment al configurations, identification of all equipment and materi als, records of all quantities measured in setting up an experiment, all data, with clear records of discarded data and the ration ale for their deletion from the fin al data set, and the methods of error an alysis. The contents of this notebook form the basis for each written report. Data collection can be a very lengthy process for some experiments, so it is then acceptable for the two individu als performing the experiment to share a single data set. Discuss this approach with the instructor before taking it. In order to obtain the full benefit of an experiment, it is gener ally a good idea to collect your own data. Any data origin ally entered into a computer is to be printed and permanently attached in the notebook. In order to make your laboratory experience as similar as possible to that of an actu al working physicist’s, you will not find this to be a highly structured class. You may encounter more than one way of carrying out an experiment, dead ends requiring a re-ev aluation of the chosen procedure and the selection of a new procedure. You may have to improvise and design parts of the experiments. You should not expect the instructor to provide answers to your every problem, as the laboratory is a place of self-discovery. This process of discovery may include outside reading if your course work has not adequately covered the necessary materi al. In this case, however, you should inform the instructor of the deficiency in the department’s curriculum. In the end, however, the instructor is there to keep you moving forward and to guide you in reasonable laboratory practices. You will also be expected to aid in maintaining a clean and well-organized working environment. You are not to disturb in any way a laboratory setup in use by anyone else. You are to perform a preliminary data an alysis after each laboratory session to verify that the experiment is proceeding satisfactorily. Hence, it is perfectly reasonable for the instructor to ask for a brief summary of the experiment’s progress at the beginning of a lab session. Expect to be asked to give a brief précis of your progress during the weekly class sessions. These brief or al reports will be assessed as part of your homework/quiz grade. The experiments available in our student laboratory are listed below, in approximate order of increasing complexity. The first six experiments are available in the first semester. Any of the 10 experiments may be performed in the second semester.
Laboratory safety is critic al throughout the course as some of the experiments require the use of one or more of the following potenti al hazards: high voltages, radioactive sources, and a sm all X-ray machine. Radiation badges will be organized at the beginning of the course. The Written Reports, Writing Skills You will begin the semester by providing a writing sample to assist me in assessing your gener al competence in writing. This will be assigned during the first laboratory session. The sample will not be graded. As you move through the course, remember that clarity of thought in your written expression is what you should strive for. You are expected to submit a first draft of the report for each laboratory experiment by the third laboratory session after the completion of data collection. The draft will be critic ally reviewed for scientific content and clarity within one week. Recommendations for improvements, beyond writing skills, may include addition al laboratory work to correct deficiencies in the experiment al method, data collection, and/or results. It is imperative that you begin writing your report when you start the experiment. Moreover, do not break down the experiment al setup as soon as (you think) you have completed data collection. Expect to meet privately with me after the submission of each first draft.
You will resolve issues with the first draft within one week of the its return in a second draft. Historic ally, second draft submissions are gener ally deficient in important details during the first semester. Be prepared to make further corrections once this second draft has been reviewed and returned to you. At this point you are to prepare a final report for grading. You have one addition al week to prepare the fin al report. A more compressed schedule is required as the end of the semester approaches. Fin al versions of the first three reports must be submitted on or before the last day of classes for the semester. The fourth report acts as a fin al exam for the course – it will not be returned for review. It is due on the day assigned for the course fin al exam. Many scientific journ als have begun to accept electronic submissions; some exclusively. As a result, it is incumbent upon the student to continu ally increase their skills in the use of text and graphics software. Therefore, you will be expected to work on these skills as part of this course by submitting your reports in electronic form. Examples of acceptable formats include LaTeX source code, Adobe PostScript or PDF documents, or MS Word documents. First drafts of reports will be accepted in hardcopy. Further instructions regarding electronic submission will be discussed in class. Grading: The Written ReportsThe format of the report is to follow that of papers in the current physics literature. Sever al examples of articles will be provided in class. Each report will be graded on a sc ale from 0 to 100 points. Reports will be marked down by one point for each day they are late. Note that although the drafts are not graded per se, late draft submissions will affect the fin al report grade at the same rate. Exceptions will be made only for serious illness or family emergencies. Written report grading will be based on the following gener al criteria:
Specific ally, the 100 possible points for the written report will be allocated as follows:
Weekly Lecture SessionsIn addition to the six hours per week of laboratory work, there is a single one-hour meeting per week in a classroom to discuss writing issues, background material on experiment al techniques, data and error an alysis, planned and unplanned or al presentations, and other topics that are appropriate for this course. Expect homework on data an alysis and experiment al topics from the reading and laboratory, as well as short quizzes to test that you have indeed read the assigned material. Laboratory Room (NSCI 135) Computer Policies
Other InformationAccess to the laboratory outside the scheduled hours is not norm ally permitted for safety reasons. This increases the need to make efficient use of the facilities during the scheduled times. Student Code of ConductYou are responsible for understanding and adhering to the Student Code of Conduct that is printed in the UAF Course Cat alog. Abide by it. Violations of the Code will be reported to the Dean of Students. Disability ServicesThe UAF Center for Health and Counseling provides services for UAF students with disabilities to ensure equal access to educational opportunities. The Center’s Disability Services Program ensures compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. If you believe you are eligible for 504 and/or ADA accommodations, please contact their office at 474-7043 (203 WHIT). Initial Questionnaire NAME: Student # Age & Sex (NRC requirements for use of radioactive sources) Academic Major(s) Physics courses completed:
Physics courses this semester:
Laboratory experience:
Experience with radioactive materials? YES? NO? Any training? YES? NO? If so, please explain: |