Advanced Physics Laboratory (360-0-1)

Instructors

Carl Dahl

Meeting Info

Technological Institute F281: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:00PM
Technological Institute F246: Tues, Thurs 3:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Each three-hour time slot of the course will begin with 30-60 minutes in the classroom, followed by time in the lab. Classroom time will be used for lectures on statistical data analysis for the first two weeks of the course, and for short student presentations for the remainder of the course. In the lab sessions, students will work in groups of 2 or 3, choosing three experiments from the ~8 setups available to complete over the quarter (5 to 6 lab sessions per experiment). In addition to the short presentations, students will keep a group lab notebook for each experiment, and will write individual reports for each experiment in the style of a journal article. At the end of the quarter, each student will give a seminar-style presentation on one of the three experiments they completed.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisite: 239-0 Modern Physics

Learning Objectives

Students will learn to give technical presentations, write reports in the style of journal articles, and do basic statistical data analysis while performing experiments in modern physics including nuclear and particle physics, atomic physics, quantum physics, condensed matter physics, and nonlinear dynamics.

Teaching Method

Classes begin with one-hour lectures on statistical data analysis for the first part of the course, and with student presentations on the theory behind the experiments in the lab for the second part of the course. A three hour lab session follows the lecture or presentations. The instructor will be available throughout the lab session to support understanding and execution of the experiments.

Each student is to complete three experiments during the course.
Students perform labs in pairs and produce individual lab reports in the style of journal articles.

Evaluation Method

The statistics portion of the course will include two problem sets and one quiz covering basic statistical data analysis. Students will perform three experiments during the course -- for each experiment the student will give one 6-minute presentation and write one report in the style of a journal article, and each group will submit one lab notebook documenting their lab work. In lieu of a final exam, students will give a final seminar-style presentation on one of the three experiments they completed during the course. Grades are based on the demonstrated understanding of the physics experiments being performed, technical communication technique (written, oral, and visual), and correct quantitative data analysis.

Class Materials (Required)

Two firmly bound notebook to keep daily records work in the laboratory. No Required Textbook.

Class Materials (Suggested)

Statistical Data Analysis by- Glen Cowan, Oxford Press, ISBN: 978-0198501558
Previous Editions: Yes, any edition is fine
Online: Yes
Price: $44.04-$130.00

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression