PHYSICS 241W WORKSHOP

PHYSICS 241W WORKSHOP FALL 2004
INTRODUCTION

WORKSHOP GOALS AND PHILOSOPHY

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that all science is based on experiment, either to test the predictions of theories or to present data the theories cannot explain in order to spur better theories. If you find science difficult, you are not alone. The concepts themselves are often not easy to grasp. Research has shown that we each must construct our own models of understanding. Simply listening to lectures and rote memorization are not good ways to learn. We must be able to assimilate the concepts and apply them to predict further phenomena. Research has also shown that learning improves when a student thinks about a concept or problem by him/herself first and then discusses it with a small group of peers. That is the philosophy we will follow in this workshop. The abilities to work within a group of peers and to communicate ideas, both orally and in writing, are important skills to have. These are fundamental goals of this workshop.

Most of the labs in this workshop will utilize data sensors interfaced to a computer. We utilize PASCO's Data Studio software, because of its powerful ability to take data, present it, and analyze it. You will find most of the analysis tools you need in Data Studio. You can find the area under a curve, highlight a particular region, find averages, or a host of things with Data Studio. You will find that you can normally fit or model data with an analytic function. In addition we have the powerful program Mathcad available, because you have already learned how to use it. Feel free to use Mathcad when you think it is useful. Remember to print out and include any computer results for inclusion with your group's report. Microsoft’s Excel software is also available and often useful.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The purpose of this workshop is

to teach you some important physical phenomena and concepts,
to teach you to think for yourself and to work in groups of peers,
to teach you better oral and written communication skills,
to introduce you to proper laboratory procedures, to use computers and data sensors, and teach you some basic laboratory techniques,
and
to give you confidence in your ability to take measurements and adequately analyze and interpret data.

COURSE ORGANIZATION

Physics 241W is a dependent course for Physics 241E, but it is not part of Physics 241E. It is a one-credit course with an independent grade. You must, however, be registered in both a 241E lecture and a 241W workshop (unless you already have credit for 241E). Each workshop section will have up to 24 students (and no more).

Every student must purchase the manual for Physics 241W at the UVa bookstore. This manual contains the workshop activities which you will use each week.

Registration in Physics 241W will be blocked on Friday morning, September 3, 2004. The workshops start on Monday during the semester’s first full week of classes (September 6, 2004). In that first week, you must attend the section of your choice on time. If you are registered for that section, your place in that section is secure. If you do not attend or are late to your registered section, your name will be dropped from that section’s enrollment. Those who wish to add to that section will then be added if space is available. Since only 24 students may be in a section, if more students want to add than there is space available, names will be drawn at random and added to the enrollment until the 24 spaces are filled. The remaining students must find other sections to attend. Let us re-emphasize this point: If you are registered for a section and wish to secure your place in that section, you must attend that section on time during the first full week of classes. Note, however, that there are normally two sections being held simultaneously so that each time slot has space available for 48 students in the two sections. In the extraordinary event that you cannot attend any sections during that first full week of classes, say due to illness or a family emergency, please contact Larry Suddarth (room 214, physics building; 924-6843; lts7x@Virginia.edu) as soon as possible. Contact Mr. Suddarth regarding any problems with registration. Beginning September 3, 2004, Mr. Suddarth is the only person who can add you into a section of 241W.

It is your responsibility to be registered for a workshop. If you are unable to find a workshop open that meets your schedule, go to a suitable section the first week to see if space becomes available or to see if someone will switch with you. You may need to go to several workshops before this is successful.

Your work in Physics 241W will consist of three parts:

A pre-lab activity that you must complete before coming to the lab.
The lab itself, answering all the questions and predictions, and attaching data, results, graphs, and analysis as requested with your group members that will be turned in at the end of the lab.
A post-lab quiz that you must complete in the specified time period.

Each lab period is two hours (technically one hour and fifty minutes) long. You are expected to have vacated the room within one hour and fifty-five minutes to allow the next section to begin on time. The labs meet during each full week of classes and are overseen by a graduate instructor (teaching assistant commonly called a TA, for short). The TA’s responsibilities are to ensure the safety of the students; protect the equipment; provide good teaching pedagogy to help you learn as much as possible, provide additional instructions and information concerning the workshop, grade your lab work and, together with the faculty, assign your grade.

The first part of the first meeting of the semester will be organizational and preparatory. You will be added or dropped from the section (as discussed above), meet your TA, exchange information with your instructor, be informed of any changes to class policies, and so on. Then we will perform a short experiment.

PREPARATION

For each workshop, you must do the pre-lab activity that can be found on the Internet site WebAssign. It can be found at:

https://www.webassign.net/uva/login.html.
We are not having you submit a lab report, but instead, we are requiring you to spend time preparing for the lab each week. We expect that since you are better prepared, the lab will be a better learning experience.

We have in the past had difficulties with students’ not following instructions with WebAssign. Our class policy regarding WebAssign and mistakes made with it are clearly articulated on the class website and will be reviewed and updated as needed. The class website is located at: http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/241w.rmm5a.fall04/.
In order to complete the pre-workshop activity each week, you should do the following:

Read over the workshop material in this manual (including the relevant appendix and outside reading assignments, where appropriate) for the week’s activity completely to get an overview.
Connect to the Physics 241W class web page to learn about any changes, suggestions, or additional material given for this week's activity.
Read the instructions again, but this time more carefully; highlighting the important features of the workshop. Try to work through any derivations you do not understand. In other words, be an active reader and study the manual.
Complete the pre-lab activity as directed on the web page.
Bring a graphing or other scientific calculator to the workshop.

Before attending your workshop section during the first full week of classes, look over the workshop manual and become familiar with the appendices to which you should refer as needed throughout the semester. Particularly important are Appendix B: Graphical Analysis and Appendix D: The Accuracy of Measurements and Significant Figures. Refer to Appendix D and apply it appropriately throughout the semester.

PROCEDURE IN THE WORKSHOP

Since the lab periods are one hour and fifty minutes long, you will need to be efficient in the use of your time. Normally you will work in groups of three. You will be assigned to a different group each week. We encourage a free exchange of ideas between group members (and also generally in the laboratory), and we expect you to share both in taking data and in operating the computer system. You will turn in your lab materials as a group at the end of the period. Everyone must fill out the material asked for in the manual, but you only should turn in one set of graphs and data when you are asked to print them out. Be sure that all such printouts are well noted with the activity number and your lab partners' names. You and your group members will not necessarily receive a common grade for the lab each week, because we will grade both your results and your answers.

GRADING POLICY

The workshop will be graded as follows:

The pre-lab activities are worth 20%.
The weekly labs are worth 50% based on the performance in the laboratory as evidenced by your performance (which is, of course, subjective) and by your grade on what you turn in each week.
The post-lab quizzes are worth 30%.

Lab scores will be normalized according to a curve based on your graduate instructor’s students only. We do this to try to take account of the different grading scales of the graduate instructors.
Your final grade will be determined by all your scores. No scores will be dropped.

ABSENCES AND TARDINESS

Absences and tardiness will be accepted only for legitimate excuses, i.e. illness, a death in your family, a university sponsored trip, etc. If possible, contact your graduate instructor before the time of the lab (e.g. send an email). Without a bona fide reason, all absentees receive a grade of zero for that lab. If you miss a laboratory session because of a legitimate excuse, your instructor will excuse your absence provided that you submit a written excuse petition signed by you. This must be done no later than the next scheduled lab. For approved absences, it may be possible to make up a missing lab, but it must be done no later than the Thursday of the following week. See your graduate instructor or faculty member for further information.

Late arrival for any lab session is very disruptive and will be penalized. After a 5-minute grace period, the lab instructor will deduct 10% from your grade during the first 10 minutes of tardiness and 15% for each successive 10-minute period (or part thereof).

WEBASSIGN POLICY

Please pay particular attention to the due dates of the WebAssign pre- and post-lab assignments. In general, we will try to have the pre-lab assignments posted on the Tuesday of the week before the actual lab. The pre-lab assignments are due 30 minutes before the lab. Normally you will be given several submissions to obtain the correct answer, but sometimes WebAssign malfunctions, so do not waste your submissions. There will be no time extensions given, unless you have been excused from the lab. Contact Larry Suddarth (room 214, physics building; 924-6843; lts7x@Virginia.edu) for an extension in that case. You can learn more about using WebAssign at their site at:

http://www.webassign.net/info/guide/index.html.
The post-lab quiz will be made available just after the lab period. The post-labs have only one submission and they have a time limit. Pay particular attention to how much time is allowed for each post-lab quiz. If you go over this time, WebAssign will automatically give you a zero for the quiz, despite the fact that it may still show you which questions you answered correctly. There is no possibility of us changing your grade from zero if you go over the time limit. Please allow for possible malfunctions of your computer and for you reading the time incorrectly. Only the clock in WebAssign is used, and we have not found it to ever be inaccurate! You are responsible for keeping track of the available time. We expect you to do the post-lab quiz within a few hours of completing the lab. We do, however, give you an extension to the following Monday morning at 5 am. That is the only extension you will receive. If, for whatever reason, you do not complete the post-lab quiz on time, you will receive a zero. We hear a multitude of reasons/excuses, but we expect you to do the post-lab quiz immediately following your lab, not on Sunday night. Please do not request an extension (despite what WebAssign might indicate on your screen).

LAB MAKEUPS

You may only miss a lab if your instructor has given you permission for the reasons already mentioned. You must receive permission from your instructor to make it up and you must make sure that Mr. Suddarth is informed so that he can ensure that the labs are properly set up. Make up labs are normally Thursday afternoon in room 213 beginning at 4 pm. You may only make up a lab during the week that you missed it or the following week. The labs are not left set up beyond the following week. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the TA has given permission and to attend the make up.

If you miss a lab for an approved reason, and do not make up the lab until the following week, contact Mr. Suddarth for an extension for the post-lab quiz. If you take the make up on Thursday of the regular lab week, you do not receive a time extension.