Physics 3719 Undergraduate Laboratory
Summer 2008

Lecture/Discussion

• T,H 5:00-6:00pm 405 SP
  

Laboratory

Sec 003	F	8:00am-12:00pm	306/307 SP
Sec 004	F	1:00pm- 5:00pm	306/307 SP
Sec 005	S	9:00am- 1:00pm	306/307 SP

(see rolls of the sections here).

Instructor

• John Viner
  307C SP 581-5232 jmv@physics.utah.edu
  Office Hours: M 10:00-11:30am, W 1:30-3:00pm 306 SP

Laboratory Assistants

• Yuting Hu
  yuting@physics.utah.edu
  
  
• Peng Yang
  sophier1980@gmail.com
  

Textbooks

• Required:
  David C. Baird, Experimentation: An Introduction to Meassurement Theory and Experiment Design, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall, 1995).
• Required:
  John R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis, 2nd ed. (University Science Books, 1997).
• Optional:
  Adrian C. Melissinos and Jim Napolitano, Experiments in Modern Physics, 2nd ed. (Academic Press. 2003).
• Optional:
  Daryl W. Preston and Eric R. Dietz, The Art of Experimental Physics, (Wiley, 1991).

Important Dates

• Monday May 12 : Classes begin.
• Wednesday May 21 : Last day to drop (delete) class with no tuition penalty.
• Friday June 30 : Last day to withdraw from class, but you will be held responsible for tuition and a "W" will appear on your transcript.
• Wednesday July 30 : Classes end.
• Thursday July 31 and Friday August 1 : Final examination period.

References

On reserve at Marriott Library for a 24 hour loan period. (* = most useful)

1.	*	Baird, Experimentation (Third Edition)
2.		Bevington, Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
3.		Beyer, AIP Style Manual
4.		Chambers, et al., Basic Vacuum Technology
5.		Chen and Cook, Gravitational Experiments in the Laboratory
6.		Coplan, et al., Building Scientific Apparatus
7.		Day, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper
8.		Day, Scientific English
9.		Dunlop, Experimental Physics
10.	*	Harnwell and Livingood, Experimental Atomic Physics
11.		Hoag and Korff, Electron and Nuclear Physics
12.	*	Jenkins and White, Fundamentals of Optics
13.		Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments
14.	*	Lyons, A Practical Guide to Data Analysis for Physical Science Students
15.		Mark and Olson, Experiments in Modern Physics
16.	*	Melissinos, Experiments in Modern Physics
17.	*	Melissinos and Napolitano, Experiments in Modern Physics (Second Edition)
18.	*	Preston and Dietz, The Art of Experimental Physics
19.		Richtmyer, et al., Introduction to Modern Physics
20.	*	Squires, Practical Physics (Fourth Edition)
21.		Strong, Procedures in Experimental Physics
22.	*	Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis (Second Edition)
23.		Taylor, The Taylor Manual

Organization

• Lecture/Discussion
  1. Lecture - theory, experimental technique, data analysis, error analysis and interpretation of results.
  2. Discussions - particular experiments, problems.
  3. Scheduling of experiments.
  4. Homework problems and tests.
  5. Collection of completed experiments and assignments.
  
  
• Laboratory
  1. Experiments
     The completion of four (4) experiments and two (2) laboratory practical examinations.
     

     Experiment   Group    Length of Time   % of Grade
         1          1           2 weeks          8
         2          1           2                8
         3          2           2                8   
         4          2 or 3      3               12
         LPE1                   4 hours          6
         LPE2                   8               12
     
     Experiments 1, LPE1 and LPE2 are performed by each student individually.
     The other experiments are normally carried out in groups of two students. 
     

  2. Laboratory work
     All work (except Experiments 1, LPE1 and LPE2) is to be recorded in a laboratory notebook (Examination Blue Books 11 X 8 1/2).
  3. Reports
     Laboratory reports consist of work recorded in the laboratory notebook and contain two parts: Pre- and Postreports (see Report Contents below).
  4. Grading
     

     1.  Laboratory notebooks E1,2,3,4         36%  (E:8%+8%+8%+12%)
     2.  Laboratory skill and behavior         20%  
     3.  Problems P1,2,3,4,5,6 and tests T1,2  20%  (P:6x2%+T:2x4%)
     4.  Scientific paper SP                    6%    
     5.  Laboratory practical examination LPE1  6%
                                          LPE2 12%
     

Lecture/Discussion Topics

1. Laboratory notebook contents
2. Data and error analysis
   1. Data transformation
   2. Random and systematic errors
   3. Probability distributions and the analysis of random errors
   4. Propagation of errors
   5. Least-squares fitting
3. Experiment design
4. Experiment evaluation
5. Writing a scientific paper

Laboratory Mode of Behavior

1. Preliminary measurements
2. Analyze preliminary measurements
3. Modify experimental method as necessary
4. Careful measurements
5. Analyze careful measurements

Experiments

Group 1

1. A Physical Pendulum and the Acceleration due to Gravity
2. Geiger-Mueller Detector and Counting Statistics

Group 2

1. Gravitational Constant G (gravitational torsion balance)
2. Speed of Light c (rotating mirror, Foucault)
3. Electron Charge-to-Mass Ratio e/m (orbital motion of electrons in a magnetic field)
4. Thermal Radiation (Planck's blackbody intensity distribution, Stefan's law)
5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment (electron charge)
6. Planck's Constant h (photoelectric effect)
7. Franck-Hertz (inelastic scattering of electrons from mercury atoms)
8. Balmer Spectrum (visible emission spectrum of excited hydrogen atoms)
9. Thermionic Emission of Electrons (thermally excited escape of electrons from a metal)
10. Gamma Ray Spectroscopy (gamma ray energies in nuclear decay processes)
11. High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy (hydrogen-deuterium isotope shift)
12. Shot and Thermal Noise (electron charge)

Group 3

1. Muon Lifetime (cosmic rays)
2. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (continuous wave)
3. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (pulsed)
4. Compton Scattering (photon scattering from a free electron)
5. Low Temperature Specific Heats and Calorimetry (specific heat of copper from liquid nitrogen to room temperature)
6. Electrical Conductivity and the Hall Effect (charge transport in metals, semimetals and semiconductors)
7. Avogadro's Number From Brownian Motion
8. Zeeman Effect (electrom e/m)
9. Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (Michelson interferometer and sodium D lines)
10. Alpha Particle Spectroscopy (alpha particle energies in nuclear decay processes)
11. High Temperature Superconductivity (temperature dependence of electrical resistance, Meissner effect)
12. Faraday Rotation
13. Chaos
14. Photoluminescence and Optical Absorption in GaInP
15. Electron Charge-to-Mass Ratio e/m (magnetron method)
16. Gaussian Beams and Fiber Optics

Report Contents

• Prereport
  1. Title
  2. Purpose
  3. Introduction (history, background, qualitative description)
  4. Theory (model, assumptions)
  5. Plan of Analysis (how to accomplish the Purpose from the given Theory)
  6. Numerical Estimates (check experiment feasibility, validity of theoretical assumptions, expected values of measured quantities, apparatus required,...)
  7. References
  
  
• Postreport
  1. Experimental method

     (1) Diagram (define and label variables)
     (2) Method (procedure for taking data, experimental conditions,
                 special techniques and precautions)
     

     
     
  2. Data (date, time, signature)
     Tables (variable symbol, units, significant figures, uncertainties, equation at top of column for calculated values)
     Data is to be written directly into your laboratory notebook while performing the experiment. Your data in your laboratory notebook must (absolutely) be initialed by the instructor before leaving the laboratory.

  3. Results
     

     (1.1) Graphs (title, variables, units, label scales, 
                   data point symbols, error bars, equation of best fit)
     (1.2) Tables of data for plotted graphs 
     (2)   Calculations (equations, numbers with units, answers 
                         to correct number of significant figures)
     (3)   Error analysis (propagation of errors)
     

  4. Discussion
     

     (1) Comparison with theory (model, accepted value)
     (2) Errors (random and systematic error sources, 		
                 major source of error and experimental uncertainty)
     (3) Improvements (model, experimental method, analysis of data)
     (4) Extensions (additional experiments)
     (5) Discussion questions
     

  5. Conclusion
     Provides an answer to the Purpose.