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PHYS 440

I. Course Title: Advanced Physics Laboratory (WI)

II. Course Number: PHYS 440

III. Credit Hours: 3 credits

IV. Prerequisites: PHYS 303, PHYS 305, PHYS 309

V. Course Description: 

Students will learn data analysis, evaluation, and interpretation, as well as error calculation and propagation.  The course will also focus on experiment design and scientific information dissemination through report writing and presentations in poster and oral formats.  A limited number of advanced physics laboratory experiments will be performed which illustrate important concepts and methods.

Note(s): Applied Learning designated course.

VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:

This lecture- and laboratory-based course will provide students with experience in experimental design, data and error analysis, scientific communication, and will also provide exposure to modern scientific equipment. The topics emphasized in the course include the following:

  1. Properly maintaining a laboratory notebook
  2. Measurement precision, error analysis, and error propagation 
  3. Use of scientific equipment such as optics set-ups, interferometers, oscilloscopes and lock-in amplifiers 
  4. Experiment troubleshooting 
  5. Scientific literacy: how to conduct literature searches
  6. Written and oral dissemination of scientific results

VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

Each student in the course will be responsible for successfully executing multiple advanced laboratory experiments during the semester.  Students will be responsible for experiment set-up, trouble-shooting, and data taking, as well as data analysis, and will be tasked with running the experiments independently with minimal faculty oversight, except as needed for safety requirements.  For each experiment students will generate a written report using Physical Review Letters format.  In addition, students will provide a formal oral presentation, with the presentation style modeled after expectations for presentations at professional national meetings, such as the annual national meeting of the American Physical Society.

Classroom time will be allotted to instruction of mathematics related to undertaking successful experimental science.  This will include topics such as error propagation and statistical analysis.

VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:

  1. Students will demonstrate an ability to effectively communicate scientific information in written and oral format.
  2. Students will develop the ability to independently undertake scientific experimentation. 
  3. Students will learn to effectively analyze their experimental results, including assigning appropriate experimental error ranges. 

VIII. Assessment Measures:

The bulk of the student assessment will be based on the written and oral results for each experiment.  Students will be assessed on not only proper execution of the experiment and interpretation of their results, but also on the quality of their written and oral communication.  In addition, students will be assessed on lecture material through appropriate homework assignments.

 

Review and Approval

August 2020

March 01, 2021

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