Physics 276

Experimental Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism

Fall 2005

Course description: Physics 276 is the third course in the introductory laboratory sequence Physics 174-275-276.  This course is intended primarily for physics majors, but is open to all science and engineering students interested in a rigorous introduction to experimental physics.  The experiments emphasize electromagnetic fields and circuits.  A major component of this course is developing skills in record keeping, data analysis, and scientific writing.

General information

• Prerequisites: Phys 272, Phys275

• Corequisite: Phys 273

• Times and places:  You should make every effort to attend your regularly scheduled lab section, but if you must miss your section please request to attend another section in advance if possible.  We will try to accommodate such requests if space and equipment are available.  

   

  Section	Time	Room	Instructor	TA
  0101	M 2-5:50	3120	R.F. Ellis	Chaun Jang
  0201	Tu 2-5:50	3120	J.J. Kelly	Chaun Jang
  0301	F 12-3:50	3120	R.F. Ellis	Chaun Jang

• Late arrival: Classes begin promptly on the hour and it is important to arrive on time to receive lab instructions and to have time to finish.  If you arrive more than 10 minutes late you might not be allowed into the lab and will have to make it up in another section or during the make-up week.

• Office hours and contact information: our office hours are listed along with contact information below.  At other times you can either take your chances or make an appointment.  Please come often -- our doors are always open.

  Name	times	room	e-mail	phone
  Prof. Kelly	Tu 10-12	PHYS 2215-C	jjkelly@umd.edu	5-6110
  Prof. Ellis	MF 10-11:30	ERF 0132	rfellis@umd.edu	5-7369
  Chaun Jang	Th 1-3	PHYS 4219	cujang@umd.edu	5-6073

• Texts:  

  • Physics 276 Laboratory Manual (Wiley Custom Services, Fall 2004)

  • An Introduction to Error Analysis,  J.R. Taylor (University Science Books, 1997)

• Discussion sections: Several class meetings will be used to discuss the physics and/or data analysis theory for upcoming experiments.   Participation in these sections is just as important as the experiments themselves. 

• Lab notebooks: You should use a bound laboratory notebook for this course and should not share its space with other courses.  Read the lab manual in advance and work through derivations and error propagation formulas in this notebook -- these exercises are essential parts of pre-lab preparation.  During the lab produce sketches of your equipment, including model numbers.  Describe your actions and observations completely but concisely.  Be careful to note the scale settings for any meter and to report any calibrations made (zero offset, etc.).  Enter your data in well-formatted tables; it is acceptable to tape or staple spreadsheets into your notebook but make sure that the units are given.  All entries should be made in ink and mistakes should be indicated by a single line rather than erasure or total obliteration. 

• Lab reports: Due dates are listed in the schedule table. Electronic submission using WebCT is preferred, but printed reports will be accepted also; handwritten reports will not be accepted.  Guidelines for preparing lab reports are provided near the beginning of the lab manual.

• WebCT: We will use WebCT to collect assignments and distribute course materials.  The address is www.courses.umd.edu.   You should submit a copy of the spreadsheet with your data and preliminary analysis before leaving the lab; this will provide a backup against disk or communication failures.  Later you can submit your finished lab report to the same site.

• Making up a missed lab: If you miss a lab and cannot make it up in one of the other sections, it will be necessary to sign up for a make-up during one of the scheduled make-up periods.  Failure to perform all of the labs will result in failure of the course.

• Analysis software: you may use the Excel macros that were provided for Physics 275 or the Mathematica functions that will be provided for this course.  These materials are available on our WebCT site.  Naturally, you may also develop your own analysis software, but you may not simply substitute your numbers into someone else's spreadsheet or notebook. 

Grading policies

• Lab reports: each lab report can receive up to 20 points.  The grading will assign 0-5 points for each of the following characteristics:

  • completeness: were all required measurements and analyses performed?

  • presentation: does the report contain all required elements of a lab report with suitable format?  Is the writing clear, complete, and concise?  Do all figures have axis labels, legends, and suitable formats?

  • proper use of significant figures, units, scientific notation

  • analysis: are both random and systematic uncertainties evaluated?  Is every data set compared graphically with a fit or prediction?

• Grade budget:  The table below lists approximate weights for various contributions  to the final grade.  Letter grades will be based on the standard absolute scale (A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 65-69%). The best way to ensure a high grade is to prepare all lab reports carefully and to submit them on time. 

  lab reports	70%
  lab final	20%
  class participation	10%

• Missed lab: Missing a lab and not making it up will result in failure of the course.

• Late or missing lab report: Late reports will be assessed a penalty of 10% per day.  A missing lab report will cost one letter grade.

Laboratory schedule

The following table outlines the experiment and discussion schedule. You are strongly advised to read the relevant chapter of the laboratory manual and to work through all derivations before coming to the lab so that you understand the physical principles for each experiment and the assumptions used to relate abstract principles to practical measurements.  You should also work through the error propagation for derived quantities so that you can anticipate which uncertainties are likely to determine the accuracy with which the experimental goals can be achieved.  You should then be well prepared for making careful measurements and complete record keeping.  If you prepare well, you should be able to perform most of the data analysis during the lab period.  Inadequate preparation usually results in inefficient use of laboratory time!

For the purposes of this course, weeks with experiments begin on a Friday and end the following Thursday!

Note acts of God or Man may require adjustment of the lab schedule -- be alert to announcements.

Other links

Last revised: August 29, 2005