Department of
Physics
Fall 2008 Prof. Carter Hall Physics 375
Prerequisite:
PHYS 273 and PHYS 276. Credit will be granted for only one of the following:
PHYS 375 or former PHYS 296
Instructor:
Prof. Carter Hall, Room
2220B, Phone: 5-6103, e-mail: crhall@umd.edu.
TA:
Monday section: No TA.
Tuesday section: Rong
Zhou, zhour@umd.edu.
Schedule:
One meeting weekly: M....... 2:00pm-
5:50pm (0101) (PHY
3104)
T........2:00pm - 5:50pm (0301) (PHY 3104)
Required
Texts:
Introduction to Optics (3rd Edition) by F. L. Pedrotti,
L. S. Pedrotti, L. M. Pedrotti.
ISBN: 0-13-149933-5.
1 Carbon Copy Lab Notebook (ex: Roaring
Spring Paper Products Lab Notebook with carbon, 11 3/4” x 9 1/4”, 4x4 Quad.,
100 pages with duplicates, bound, numbered pages, $29 at the bookstore)
Instructor’s notes
Suggested Additional
An Introduction to Error Analysis by J. R. Taylor, ISBN:
0-935702-75-X.
Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences (Second Edition) by P. R. Bevington and D. K. Robinson, ISBN: 0-07-005135-6.
Other books on optics and modern physics, including your Phys 171/272/273 texts.
Overview:
PHYS375 is a three (3) credit course that meets four hours a week. It includes a substantial lecture component, so that students learn optics in a coherent fashion. The primary laboratory objective consists of learning physics through experimental investigation. Topics to be covered include electromagnetic waves, geometrical optics, polarization, interference and interferometers, diffraction, and atomic spectra. There will be six experiments, each lasting for two class periods, as well as lectures. This course will allow you to develop practical laboratory skills including experimental design and experimental uncertainty inherent in all measurement. You will be required to submit lab notes and lab reports for each experiment completed, along with homework submitted on those weeks when a lab report is not due. There will be a final exam, but no midterm exams.
Lectures
The lectures are a required component of
this class. This is an excellent
opportunity to learn optics and to make connections to your other courses
(electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, etc.) and deepen your understanding of
physics. Note that no student shall
be allowed into the lab unless they have participated in that week’s lecture.
Computers
Developing a working
knowledge of computers in the context of physics problem solving is an
important skill. You will accumulate
data with a computer-based data acquisition system.
Additional information:
Regular communication is essential in this laboratory. Besides face-to-face discussions during the required attendance on your scheduled lab day, email is the next easiest way to stay in touch. You are expected to check your email and the WEB page regularly for announcements.
Dropping
the Course:
Note: the last day to drop without a “W”
is September 15. The last day to drop
with a "W" is November 10.
Grading:
Your final grade will be based on 100 points determined by your lab reports, homework, and final exam, according to the following scheme:
|
6
Lab reports @ 10 pts each |
|
60
pts |
|
6
Homeworks @ 3.33 pts each |
|
20
pts |
|
Final
exam |
|
20
pts |
|
TOTAL |
|
100 pts |
Phys 375 Lab Manual
We will not be using a traditional Lab Manual (no more cookbooks!). Information necessary for each lab will be posted on the course website for download.
Lab Reports:
The emphasis in the lab reports will be to learn how to keep a laboratory notebook. This should be a record of what you did in the lab (including mistakes – never erase!). The lab report should consist of two main parts – the record of what you did in the lab, including notes on the apparatus , how you acquired data, and the raw data. The second part is data analysis, including plots, extraction of the actual quantities to be measured, and uncertainty analysis. It should end with a discussion of ways to improve the measurement. This may be a different form for a lab report than you are used to – rather than having you repeat the material we already know (what the problem is, what the equipment is,…) you should focus on what you did and what conclusions you drew. The grading will be as follows
|
Laboratory
notes |
|
5 pts |
|
Data
analysis (in lab report) |
|
4 pts |
|
Discussion
of uncertainties (in lab report) |
|
1 pts |
|
TOTAL |
|
10 pts |
You have 1 week to turn in your lab report after completion of the lab. The reports will be due by at the beginning of class on the Tuesday following the completion of the lab. Any lab reports submitted after the deadline will suffer an automatic 50% reduction if they are up to 1 week late, and a 100% reduction if they are more than 1 week late. If you should miss any lab for any reason, you should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make an arrangement for makeup. Any missing lab will result in failing the entire course. (Note that if you have a lab report which is more than 1 week late, you still must turn it in - and receive a zero - to avoid failing the class.)
Homework:
Homework is assigned for
every week that a lab report is not due.
This material is designed to complement the lecture and laboratory
segments of the course. Late homework
will not be accepted and will receive a grade of 0. As recompense, the single lowest homework
grade will be dropped before the final homework grade calculation.
Lab Notebook:
You will be required to
purchase a carbon copy notebook, so that you can turn in a copy your lab notes
at the end of each class period. These notes will be graded every other week,
along with your lab report. If you are a
light writer, then you must take care to make sure that your notes are being
transferred to the second copy. Your grade will suffer if the grader cannot
read your notes!
Academic
Dishonesty (cheating):
Academic dishonesty is a
serious offense that may result in suspension or expulsion from the
university. In addition to any other
action taken, the normal sanction is a grade of “XF”, denoting “failure due to
academic dishonesty,” and will normally be recorded on the transcript of the
offending student.
Office
Hours
I will not hold regular office hours, but
you are welcome to come by my office at any time. You can also schedule an
appointment with me by email or in person. However, I will occasionally be
traveling, and during these times you can contact me by email.
Course
Web Site:
The
course web site is located at:
http://www.physics.umd.edu/courses/Phys375/Hall-Fall-2008/index.html
All
of the course notebooks are located there, along with helpful notes about error
analysis, keeping a lab notebook, contact information, this syllabus, etc.
Nitty Gritty:
Please do not bring any food or drink into
the lab under any circumstances. This includes water.
Tips
For Doing Well In This Course:
1) Read the pre-lecture reading and lab description before class.
2) Freely ask questions in lab, and
lecture. Also discuss problems with your
friends and class mates.
3) Do the homework and turn it in on time.
4) Keep a neat and well-organized lab
notebook. It is good to learn this now
because you will be required to use one in PHYS 405.
What
Should You Learn in this Class?
This is one of the few opportunities in our
undergraduate curriculum to learn some geometrical and wave optics. You will also learn how to carefully take
data, analyze it, understand the origins and propagation of errors, and to
better appreciate the subtleties of experimental physics. You will also learn how to make useful
written presentations of scientific results.
Finally, we hope to convince you that experimental physics is fun!