Physics 113L: Introductory Physics Lab III

Dr. Renat Letfullin

CL117 (Moench Hall) CL 108

Lab Manual: Introductory Laboratory Physics Extension: x8570

letfullin@rose-hulman.edu

Dear students,

Welcome to Physics 113L. This is the laboratory component of your Physics 113 studio class. There will be five lab sessions and smaller activities during the quarter, which include orientation lab and four main experiments. Lab reports are needed only for four experiments. You must pass the labs and get at least 70% of your lab score in order to pass this course. If you took PH113 labs before and got 70% or higher lab score, you can transfer your lab grade to this course. This Syllabus is available on-line http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~letfulli/

Approximate Labs and activities Schedule for PH113:

CL 117	Week #2	Week #3	Week #5	Week #7	Week #9
Lab/ pp.	Orientation p1-1–2-25	Magnetic force on parallel wires, p 4.33	Faraday's law,  p. 4.37	Interference of light from two slits, p 5.23	Lenses, p 5.18

Before each lab (do it at home !): Read the lab procedure in the lab manual (pages for each lab are specified in table above).

Orientation lab.

Pick up your partner. Each student will work in a group of two (or three), and will be responsible for two formal write-ups. Each group of two, therefore, will submit four formal reports during the quarter, based on the data collected from the lab experiments. Both names should be printed and signed on each report. Indicate who was the author (Principal Investigator, PI), and who was the partner.

If you are the PI for this experiment, please make sure that you bring your laptop and that you are running Logger Pro 3.2. If you do not have Logger Pro 3.2, it can be installed on your laptop from Tibia.

At the end of each lab. On the days you will perform the laboratory experiment I will go through your data and put my initials in your notebook BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR THE DAY. My initials don’t guarantee “A” grade for your lab report. I’m just checking the completeness of the data taken in the lab.

Handing in your work: There is a box outside my office (CL108) for the lab reports. Finish your report and turn it in to the box no later than one week after the lab session (by 5 p.m.). Try to get as much of your reports written during the lab as you can, while everything is fresh in your mind.

Lab Report Format

Lab report must be written by pen or printed and pasted in lab notebook. A complete lab report must have the following sections:

• A lab title
• Name of the P.I.
• Name of the lab partner
• Date that the report was turned in
• Abstract - a brief description of what you were investigating, how you conducted the experiment and your conclusions based on your experience.  The abstract should not be a discussion of what you are going to do in the lab. 
• Equipment List with ID numbers
• Experimental setup - this section must include a schematic figure, detailing how things were connected, where appropriate. 
• Step-by-step procedure - a detailed description of what you did in the lab.  The raw data must appear in this section immediately following the description about how the data was taken.   A person must be able to read your procedure section and be able to duplicate your results without having the lab manual present. 
• Analysis - a sample of the calculations made in the lab.  This section should include a sample of the error calculations and propagation of errors used in your analysis.   The final data that you are analyzing to generate conclusions, the values with appropriate uncertainties, must be shown in this section.  The calculations may be done by the computer, but include printouts of the worksheet and any graphs in your lab book. 
• Conclusion – lab report must have a conclusion that is based on your experiments and analysis.  If your conclusions do not following logically from your analysis, your grade will be deducted significantly.  This section must also contain a brief description of significant factors that you think affected your data, in particular, the uncertainties in your data (factors that contributed to the error in your experiment).
• On the last page of your report, please write your names and sign the report.

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Grading Guidelines for Lab Reports

Procedural Points

Written in ink?........................................................................... 1

Pages numbered?....................................................................... 1

Table of contents?...................................................................... 1

Table of contents updated?....................................................... 1

Title?.......................................................................................... 1

Printed names?........................................................................... 1

Date?.......................................................................................... 1

Equipment list with ID numbers................................................ 3

Subtotal...................................................................................................... 10

Introduction

Clear statement of purpose?...................................................... 2

Overview of how major pieces of equipment are used?............ 3

Subtotal........................................................................................................ 5

Procedure description

Description written as experiment is performed?...................... 3

Clear description of each step of the experiment?..................... 8

Clear description of each step of the analysis............................ 4

Subtotal...................................................................................................... 15

Data

Proper data recorded?.............................................................. 15

Raw data recorded?................................................................... 2

Units on data?............................................................................ 3

Multiple trials?........................................................................... 5

Subtotal...................................................................................................... 25

Analysis

Proper calculations done?........................................................ 10

Sample calculations shown?.................................................... 10

Required derivations?................................................................ 5

Subtotal...................................................................................................... 25

Uncertainty analysis

Reasonable estimates of experimental uncertainty?.................. 3

Standard error found correctly?................................................ 4

Uncertainty propagated correctly?............................................ 8

Subtotal...................................................................................................... 15

Conclusion

Comparison of numerical results?.............................................. 3

Reasonable conclusions drawn?................................................ 2

Subtotal........................................................................................................ 5

Total............................................................................................................... 100

Some Major Penalties

To avoid the penalties, please, follow to Grading Guidelines described above.

The following major penalties will be applied if

1. No names (yours and lab instructor’s) on the front page of your lab notebook – 5 points.

2. Lab report is turned on lose papers – 5 points. Each lab report must be written or printed and pasted in lab notebook.

3. Lab report is careless (- 10 points), and

4. It is done by pencil (– 5 points).

5. Lab report wasn’t signed by you and your partner (- 5 points)

6. No lab instructor’s initials in lab report – 5 points.

7. Lab report is turned after deadline – 15 points.

8. Lab report is turned to the wrong place or to wrong professor – 10 points.