Main Handout: Labs

Physics 121, Fall 2010

Prof. E. F. Redish

The laboratories in this class are different from the traditional "protocol" labs where you are told exactly what to do and expect to get a result that agrees with some theoretical prediction. These are design labs -- labs in which your job is to design a lab to answer a question. In these you will get the opportunity to explore how the design of the equipment effects what you measure and to consider how certain you are of your answer. An important part of the lab is the discussion at the end where you present and discuss your results to the other members of your class. Read the guide below carefully.

A Guide to the Laboratory
A description of the character, structure, and requirements for the laboratory.

Laboratory Handouts
The handouts describing the laboratory. You have paper copies in your Tutorial manual, but should read the lab ahead of time in order to plan what you are going to do.

• Lab 1: Measurement
• Lab 2: Grandfather clock: I
• Lab 3: Grandfather clock: II
• Lab 4: Let it roll
• Lab 5: Endangered creatures
• Lab 6: There's no such thing as a free launch: I
• Lab 7: There's still no such thing as a free launch: II
• Lab 8: Roller coaster of statistically likely doom: I [HINT]
• Lab 9 : Roller coaster of statistically likely doom: II
• Lab 10: Gravity: I
• Lab 11: Gravity: II

• Learning to use Excel -- We will be using the Excel spreadsheet in lab. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this tool, there are a number of good tutorials on the web. These two look particularly appropriate. Many others are easily found by putting "Excel tutorial" into your favorite search engine.
1. http://phoenix.phys.clemson.edu/tutorials/excel/ http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/excel/
2. http://www.baycongroup.com/excel.htm

The lab and tutorials are run by Dr. Gregg Sullivan. If you have a question or a problem about lab or tutorials that your TA cannot answer, please contact him (sullivan@icecube.umd.edu).

Prof. E. F. Redish

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Last revision 28 August, 2010.