PHYS 202L

Spring 1998

 

TA: Zitao Cheng

Email: zc5n@virginia.edu

Office hours: in class or by appointment

Web Site: http://www.phys.virginia.edu/~zc5n

(You should check this web page whenever you feel uncertain about something, including the grades of your lab, grade distribution of each lab, your final grades, schedule changes, and so on.)

  A few important info about this class:

 

You will do the lab in pairs, and either member of the same group should have a copy of the same Lab Journal after the lab. It can be a Xeroxed copy or carbonate copy. I will initial it before you leave, but it's not my responsibility to guarantee the quality of the data. Instead, most of the time you should make judgement on your own and assume the responsibility with that in this class.

  1. Read General Introduction in your Lab Manual carefully. Some grading rules are there.
  2. Appendix A & B contain some information on how to analyze data. You should refer to them whenever necessary.
  3. For your convenience, go through the lab manual before you come to the class. You have to finish the experiment

    4. within the time limit.

  4. Your final report consists of two parts:

 

  (1) Lab Journal, which you finish during the lab( 5pts).

In Lab Journal, you should write down:
      1. Data: the quantity that you measure
      2. Environmental parameters: the settings with which you collect your data.
      3. The strategy that you follow. If you have new ideas here, you should write them down.

        4. If they are truly new and good, you can gain some extra credit.

      4. Lab Journal should be clean and tidy.

I, II, and III should be interleaved, not separated.

 

(2) Home Report, which you finish at home (5 pts).

General forms of home report:

a. Title, followed by your name and your partner's name, email address.

b. Purpose of the experiment

c. Basic Principle of the experiment [key equation(s), and their meaning]

d. Data and Results(including plots if applicable)

A clear representation of data (tables and plots) with explanation, sample calculation

for each kind of data manipulation, and correct use of physics units (SI)

throughout are required.

e.Analysis of the sources of errors

f.Discussions and Conclusions [ based on b, c, d, e(above), and theoretical considerations; you should also answer the questions in the Lab Manual to demonstrate your understanding of the subject] 

 

a, b, and c should be very short and clear.

Copy from the Lab Manual as little as possible, though sometimes you may need certain summarized information from it. You can refer to your Text Book other than the Lab Manual if it can help. Use your own ideas from the observation as much as possible. You can even gain extra credits if your ideas impress me.

 

A good report doesn't have to be a long one.

A long report doesn't mean a good one.

 

Pledge on your report and append the Lab journal.

Due time: the beginning of the next lab.

 

5. Makeup is not allowed unless you have a legitimate reason. In that case, you should

contact me as far ahead as possible. Skip of an experiment will result in a ZERO grade for that lab.

6.Each lab counts equally to your final grade, so pay attention at the very beginning. Your final grade will be

normalized, i.e., decided by a distribution among fellow students in the same lab session.

Check your relative standing in each lab instead of the absolute score.

 

END