What to Expect the First Four Weeks
Before lab sections begin
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Try to register for your desired lab section before
the first day of classes. Sections may be full, but don’t worry. There
is enough space for everyone and spaces will become available as everyone
adjusts his/her schedule.
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Registration will be closed before the first day of classes.
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Purchase the lab manual at the UVa bookstore. Look through
the manual to become familiar with it.
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Review Appendix B: Graphical Analysis, Appendix
C: Oscilloscopes, and Appendix D: The Accuracy of Measurements and
Significant Figures in the manual before attending the first lab.
The first lab session (week of January 20)
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You must attend your desired section the first full
week of classes, the week of January 20. See Registration
and Enrollment.
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The first part of the lab will be organizational. Larry Suddarth
will oversee enrollment for each section. You will meet your lab instructor,
who will give some introductory remarks.
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You will complete exercises based on the appendices you will
have read (B, C, D).
Before the second lab session:
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Read the first lab writeup in your manual (Electrostatic
Force and Coulomb's Law) and write a prelab summary as discussed in
the General Introduction of your lab manual.
The second lab session (week of January 27)
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At the beginning of the lab, you will watch a video that
summarizes most of the procedures and techniques you will accomplish during
the lab
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After the video, you will break up into groups of two to
do the lab. You will have a different lab partner every week according
to a posted schedule. You will be assigned a number so that you can keep
to that schedule. Groups are to have two students (unless there is an odd
number of students in the lab in which case one group of three will be
allowed).
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The lab ends promptly after 2 hours and 50 minutes at 10
minutes before the hour.
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After the lab, you will need to make sure that each partner
has a copy of the journal you took in class. Once you leave the lab, the
journal may not be altered.
Before the third lab session:
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Write your report as soon as possible, while your memory
is still fresh. This will also give you time to revise it before you turn
it in.
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Read the second lab writeup in your manual (Ohm's
Law & Meters) and write a prelab summary.
The third lab session (week of February 3)
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Turn in your report (with journal attached) at the beginning
of the lab.
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Again, you will watch a video and do the lab.
You probably now understand the flow of the course. There
will be no labs during the week of the Spring Break (March 3-7). In addition,
you will write up the last lab (Radioactivity, Beta and Gamma Rays)
in class and hand it in then.