Physics   0577,  Modern Physical Measurements

Fall Term 2003,  

Instructor:  Julia Thompson, 200E Allen Hall, phone 4-9060, email jth@pitt.edu
TA:            Tong Chen,  email: toc2@pitt.edu

For help with lab equipment and to report problems with equipment, see Jay McDonald

This course is intended to help you acquire:

an appreciation for the central place which quantitative measurement and estimation (including sensible assignment of uncertainties) play in the delicate business of disentangling how the world really works, especially but not only the parts of it we call "physics"

some specific tools: basic electronic, numerical analysis, and computer control techniques.

experience in applying these specific tools to a range of experimental situations.

understanding of how these tools have been applied in at least one of the major physics experiments in the last century.

To this end, we have prepared a detailed lab manual (discussed more below), a set of reserve books (see separate list), and several sets of experimental equipment and suggested experiments (see brief discussion below).

Course requirements:

Complete the required experiments and submit lab reports for each. You will need two quadrille-lined notebooks, in which you will record your original data, and occasionally make rough hand-drawn graphs and estimates, discuss problems, and their resolution. Careful logging, including time data was taken is important. No data taken should be obliterated. If thought to be erroneous, it may be crossed out, with an explanation.. We will give you one notebook to start with today. While one is being graded, you will have the other to use. Generally reports are due the Tuesday after completion of your laboratory time. Each report should include a 1-2 page summary at the end.

Complete a final project (for which you will also need to make a proposal, write a report, and make a final presentation). The final report is more formal, including references, motivation, etc, appropriate in style to a journal article.

Lab manual
Available in electronic form (pdf)  in the computer lab. Some experiments are described   in separate computer files;  some only exist in printed form. See the instructor, TA,  or Jay McDonald  if you cannot locate the files. 
We have some  CD-ROMS that contain  these files. You may borrow them  if you wish to copy the files to your own computer.
Please,  do not print out the entire manual on the lab printer. Print only what you need.
One of lab the computers has a CD burner. You are permitted to copy the files to your own CD ROM.
Copying of commercial software from the lab computers is not permitted.

Course Text The reference books for the course are:

Horowitz and Hill, The Art of Electronics ,Cambridge University Press (2nd edition), a valuable reference text in electronics, and

Adrian Melissinos and Jim Napolitano, Experiments in Modern Physics , an excellent overall book on experimental technique.

You do not need to buy either book. They will be on reserve in the library, and also there will be a lab copy.

Teams:
Often the experiments are performed  by teams of two students, but lab reports are always submitted individually. The first week's experiment will be performed individully.

Scheduling:
A rough schedule is available now. Because we only have a limited number of work stations, the dates for your  experiments will be scheduled by the instructor during the first week of the course.
The schedule will be posted in the lab some time during the first or second week.

Laboratory Hours
The official laboratory (Old Engineering Hall, 324) hourse are Tuesday and Thursday, 1-5pm. Students who wish to make arrangements to work in the lab at other hours should contact the instructor.

Grading One-week experiments are graded on a scale from 0 to 10, two-week experiments on a scale form 0 to 20. The grading scale will be:

80% - 100%: A

.

60% - 80%: B

.

40% - 60%: C

.

less than 40%: less than C

.

Experiments The rough schedule of currently available experiments may be modified as the term progresses. Keep posted on developments on this page, and in lab.






last modified Aug. 28, 2003, Julia A. Thompson.