PHY 3802L Intermediate Physics Lab Spring 2024¶

Section U01: Monday 11 am - 1:45 pm, CP 251
Section U02: Wednesdays 11 am - 1:45 pm, CP 251

Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30am - 2pm, or by appointment.

General Information¶

This course starts in the first week of classes

Prerequisites¶

The same prerequisites apply to this laboratory course as apply to the PHY3106 lecture course. You must be enrolled in the lecture part of the course, PHY3106. We will communicate with using CANVAS .

Course Objectives¶

Physics is based on the art of experimentation, observation and quantitative analysis. The primary course objective is to introduce you to a selection of important experiments and experimental methods of Modern Physics. You will analyze a series of experimental data from key experiments that are related to the foundations of modern physics and resulted often in the award of a Nobel Prize for the researchers who performed them the first time.

During this course you will learn:

important experimental techniques
to properly evaluate the errors of a measurement and its effect on the final result.
basic python programming and curve fitting (there will be an exam)
to design and write analysis code in python including visualization.
to present your experiment and results in a conference like setting.
to prepare written reports of your research.

Course Format¶

First we will install the necessary software and provide an introduction into basic python programming using the special python package for this lab called LabTools. You will have to work through a tutorial and pass an exam on this subject to make sure you are ready for the subsequent work. You cannot pass this class without passing the python exam but you will be able to re-take the exam if you fail it the first time.

You will analyze about 8 experiments during the semester. When you come to class, you need to be prepared for the experiment by having read the experiment description before you come to class.

In between experiment blocks there will be analysis and make-up sessions to allow you to keep up with the work and work on your python analysis code. For each experiment you will write a report as outlined in the next section. The report MUST be submitted using CANVAS on time.

At the end of the semester you will give a 10 minute presentation on one of the experiments.

Help Available !¶

When you run into problems with the experiment, its analysis or programming problems you can always ask. Do not hesitate, there are no silly questions. It is better you ask early than too late. You can ask me during class, during office hours or when you make an appointment. Make-up/Analysis sessions as especially suited to get problems solved. ASK FOR HELP, DO NOT WAIT, DO NOT BE SHY !!!!

Grading¶

Grades are based on:

The lab reports
The Python exam
Your presentation
Attendance

You need a passing grade in each of these categories to pass the course.

Attendance: You are expected to attend each class session as this gives you the best opportunity to ask questions and get started with the analysis. This is also where I will provide help and additional explanations to help you getting a successful analysis. You are allowed only ONE unexcused absence from a class session. If you have more you will fail the attendance part of the course. If you have to be absent you need to inform me BEFORE class. If you are sick I will require a doctors notice or another official document.

Individual lab reports are graded using the rubric you can download from here

We will be using CANVAS to hand in the reports. This allows easier administration and the inclusion of grading comments inside the document.

Lab reports MUST be submitted on time. For each day that a report is submitted late it will have a point deduction of 15 points.

Due dates for the Lab Reports are posted on CANVAS .

The final grade is made up as follows: lab reports (50%), programming exam (15%), attendance(10%) and your presentation(25%).

The grading scale is:

Grade:	Minimum Average:
A	92
A-	88
B+	84
B	80
B-	77
C+	74
C	70
D	50
F	0

Incomplete grades can be given only for documented reasons beyond the control of the student, and not for failing work or lack of time.

Remember: You need a passing grade all grading categories to pass the course.

More Information on Course Requirements¶

Preparation¶

In order to make optimal use of your lab time you have to know what is required from you once you come to class. All the lab descriptions are available online.

Before class you MUST have:

read the description of the experiment you are about to carry out and be able to summarize it.
view the video (if available)
prepare your note book (e.g. table headings, summary of important quantities to measure)
setup a directory (folder) on your computer for your experiment data and analysis scripts
prepared the structure of the data files you think you will need
questions ready for your instructor about what you do not understand

Written Reports¶

Structure of the Lab Report

Introduction: A summary of what is to be investigated and the physics principles that are applied to do so. (This means often a summary of the given experiment description in your own words) You don’t need to include the original lab description.
Experiment: Setup and Data: A drawing (not by hand) of the setup and all data taken including the estimated uncertainties. You do not need to include spectra or logger pro files (which contain hundreds of data points) in numeric form, but you need to shown them as plots.
Data and Error Analysis: Describe all details of your data analysis including your error analysis in such a way that another person who is reading your report can reproduce your analysis and your results. A report without a thorough error analysis is not acceptable! All your plots must have properly labeled axes, titles and all experimental data points must have error bars. You need to describe in your report what your plots show. For information on error analysis see: Summary of Error Analysis and Statistical Methods
Summary and Conclusion: A summary of your final results and a comparison to published results. Compare your result with published data, does your result deviate and if so how large is the deviation in terms of your estimated error. What can you conclude from this ? What could be improved in order to improve the measurement?

About the content

All figures and tables need to have captions.
Write your own formulas using a formula editor and label them.
Create you own drawings using a drawing program.
If you use material from other sources (internet etc.) you need to properly quote it otherwise this is plagiarism
The final report has to be submitted as a pdf file to CANVAS .

An example of an excellent, student written lab report can be found here.

Oral Presentations¶

Each of you will give an oral presentation about one of the experiments. This presentation should be APS 10-min style with up to 5 minutes for discussion. All students in the class are required to attend. In order to get a passing grade you MUST give this presentation (it is a necessary condition).

Presentation topics will be assigned later.

Grading criteria: I will provide you with guidelines of what constitutes a good presentation well ahead of your talk.

Record Keeping¶

You will record all your measurements and procedures in a “Laboratory Notebook” or “Logbook” that you will receive on the first day of classes. This is also where you have sketches of the setup indicating measued quantities, write down your ideas regarding analysis, perform your derivations and keep notes on your program so that you know how it works or is supposed to work.

Communication¶

CANVAS will be used throughout the course to facilitate communications between the instructor and students. You must make sure that you are receiving and reading your messages; you are responsible for checking for important information and updates. You can use the chat feature.

Software Tools¶

To prepare for your first class please download the free version: Anaconda Python for your computer.

We will spend the first class to help you install the software and familiarize yourself with the different parts.

Learning the elements of computer programming to analyze data is part of this course. A python based software package (LabTools) is used that covers all software and analysis needs that you may have. A tutorial (Data Analysis with LabTools) including installation instructions is available. I strongly encourage you to work through the Python Fundamentals part. This will be part your Python proficiency exam. In this exam you will be tested on your python capabilities as are needed for this course. You MUST pass it but you will have to opportunity to try multiple times (with a deduction of points).

Experiments¶

The experiment descriptions are linked to the table of experiments below. You must READ your lab description PRIOR to the class session.

Help on error analysis and examples can be found in A Summary of Error Analysis and Statistical Methods

Groups¶

Groups will be formed during the first week of classes.

Schedule¶

Experiment Schedule¶

The schedule is subject to change (some experiments may be changed) due to room limitations. Please pay attention to your section in regrads to due dates!

Week U02	Week U01	G1	G2	G3	G4	G5	Lab Report
1	1	Software introduction	Software introduction	Software introduction	Software introduction	Software introduction	Homework I	Homework I
2	3	Python Practice	Python Practice	Python Practice	Python Practice	Python Practice	Homework II	Homework II
3	4	e/m Ratio	e/m Ratio	e/m Ratio	e/m Ratio	e/m Ratio	1
4	5	Counting Statistics	Counting Statistics	Counting Statistics	Counting Statistics	Counting Statistics	2
5	6	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up
7	7	Python proficiency exam	Python proficiency exam	Python proficiency exam	Python proficiency exam	Python proficiency exam
6	9	Speed of Light	Blackbody Radiation	Photo-Electric Effect	Electron Diffraction	X-ray Spectrometer	3
8	8	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break	Spring Break
9	10	Blackbody Radiation	Photo-Electric Effect	Electron Diffraction	X-ray Spectrometer	Hydrogen Spectrum	4
10	11	Photo-Electric Effect	Electron Diffraction	X-ray Spectrometer	Hydrogen Spectrum	Speed of Light	5
11	12	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up
12	13	Electron Diffraction	X-ray Spectrometer	Hydrogen Spectrum	Speed of Light	Blackbody Radiation	6
13	14	X-ray Spectrometer	Hydrogen Spectrum	Speed of Light	Blackbody Radiation	Photo-Electric Effect	7
14	15	Hydrogen Spectrum	Speed of Light	Blackbody Radiation	Photo-Electric Effect	Electron Diffraction	8 (optional for U02)
15	15	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up	Analysis/Make-up
16	U01	April 22	April 22	April 22	April 22	April 22
16	U02	April 24	April 24	April 24	April 24	April 24

LAST DAY TO SUBMIT LAB REPORTS: TBD, 11:59 pm

Talk Assignments¶

Allocated time: 10 min and 5 min for questions.

Talk’s content:

Introduction (Physics to be addressed)
Description of Experiment
Measurement results
Error analysis and estimates
Results: comparison with literature (if applicable)
Summary and Conclusion

You should not have more than 12 slides. Practice your talk to make sure you are on time. Create a presentation using Power Point, Key Note, Libre Office etc. and save the final version in PDF format.

An example of an APS talk of one of my graduate students.