PHYS 151/170 (.pdf) - University of Hawaii

Physics 151/170 Lab Syllabus & Handout 1
TA: Taylor Faucett
1
available online: http://www.phys.
hawaii.edu/~tfaucett/files/
syllabus.pdf
Spring 2012 • Office: Watanabe 411
The objective of this course is:
• Compliment the concepts learned in lecture with direct applications.
• Demonstrate the importance of experiment in the physical sciences.
• Introduce methods and techniques used by scientists in “real world”
experiments.
• Email: tfaucett@hawaii.edu
• Office Hours: TBA
• Webpage: www.phys.hawaii.edu/
~tfaucett
Materials
• Lab Manual
• 2 Composition Notebooks (NOT spiral bound or perforated)
• Scientific Calculator (Graphic calculator is not necessary)
• Pens
• Ruler
Grading
Individual grades will be curved based on your performance in relation to your peers. Overall, the course
grade will be split with 60% on lab reports and 40% on quizzes. In order to pass this class, you will need to
submit a lab report for EVERY lab we do during the semester. If you need to miss a lab for any reason, you
will be expected to make it up by attending another TA’s lab during the week or attending one of the other
lab sessions I teach. If you attend a different TA’s session, you will need to have that TA initial your data so
that I can be sure you didn’t simply copy data from another class member.
Please note, when I refer to turning in labs I mean a full lab report in which you not only collected data
but also analyzed your data. A lab report which ONLY has data will not be considered complete.
Lab Reports
All lab reports are due at the beginning of the following lab. Late
reports will be penalized according to the guideline in Table 1.
Lab Notebooks
late 15% off
1 week late 30% off
> 2 weeks late 45% off
Table 1: Late Policy
• Everything you do in lab should go into your lab notebook and everything should be hand written,
in pen. The only outside material you can attach to a lab notebook are plots and graphs generated on a
computer.
• The front cover should include: your name, class, section, and my name.
• Number the pages at the beginning of the semester. Page numbers not only make your notebooks more
readable but also enforce the idea that notebook pages must not be torn out of the notebook.
• The first page needs to be used as a table of contents, which indicates the date the lab was completed as
well as your partner’s name.

physics 151/170 lab syllabus & handout 2
Academic Honesty
The University of Hawaii does not tolerate cheating and severe penalties will be imposed for any instance
of dishonesty. Collaborating on quizzes, copying written work and falsifying data are all examples of academic
dishonesty. A complete overview of the University policy is available in the Student Code of Conduct.
Please note, there is a fine line between “writing things down the same way as your lab partner” and
outright cheating. If I’m ever in doubt as to whether or not your writing is your own work or in your own
words, I’ll automatically assume it’s cheating and you’ll get a zero on that assignment. If it happens multiple
times, you should expect to fail the class.
Expectations and Grading
Lab Schedule
Quizzes will be given at the beginning of each class and you won’t be able to make up a quiz if you are
late or miss a lab. For this reason, it is in your best interest to arrive on time. We will be alternating between
two rooms (PSB 108 and PSB 110) and the room we will be in will be determined by the classes
group number (make sure you know it). See Table 2, or page xi in your lab manual for the schedule.
Lab Group I. Group II.
Introduction (108) (110)
Vectors/Statistics (108) (110)
Errors (108) (110)
Darts (110) (108)
Pendulum (108) (110)
Air Track (110) (108)
Energy Transfer (110) (108)
Kinetic and Potential (108) (110)
Rotational Motion (108) (110)
Natural Oscillations (110) (108)
Driven Oscillations (108) (110)
Liquid Drag (110) (108)
Spring of Air (108) (110)
Table 2: Mechanics Lab Schedule
You WILL lose points for...
In previous courses I’ve been asked to make my grading criteria more descriptive. Below, I’ve detailed
some of the specific things you should avoid doing as a part of your lab notebook.
Missing Important Information: Part of your job as a budding experimental physicist is to determine what
information is relevant and which section of your lab notebook it should go into (i.e. Data, Error Analysis,
Calculations).
Incorrect Information: Everyone that takes this class struggles with the concept of error analysis. If you cite,
for example, “Human Error” in your Error Analysis section, you will lose points.

physics 151/170 lab syllabus & handout 3
Missing Units/Incorrect Units: Anytime you do a calculation, create a table or make a plot you will need
to include units. This includes using units in your calculations, not just the answer you got from the
calculation.
Meaningful Objective/Conclusion: The purpose of an objective and conclusion is to describe what results we
hope to get during the lab and whether or not we were successful in that goal. Neither the objective nor
conclusion is ever “to learn the concepts” but rather should relate directly to physical relationships we
hope to demonstrate.
Copying the Lab Manual Verbatim into your Procedure Section: The procedure section should describe how
you will perform the lab and which tools you used. Since the lab manual frequently describes this information
you might be tempted to simply duplicate what you’ve found there but this would be very bad.
The procedure section should be in your own words.
Not Using Appropriate Tools: Lab notebooks must be bound notebooks and hand written in pen. Anything
else (e.g. wire-bound notebooks and pencils) are not appropriate alternatives. Also, you may NOT write
your data on a separate page and attach that to your notebook.
Illegible Writing, Incorrectly Attaching Plots & General Notebook Damage: One of the fundamental purposes
of this class is to teach you how to keep a proper lab notebook. A lab notebook which is unreadable or
damaged can cause permanent loss of collected data. If your handwriting is sloppy, slow down and take
your time to ensure it is legible. At times, you will be asked to attach printed graphs to your notebook
and this needs to be done either with tape or glue. Do not use staples as they can easily damage the
page and nearby pages they rub against. Additionally, when attaching an external page make sure it is
flush with the page and entirely within its edges. Sheets that fold out (i.e. pop-up book style) are easily
damaged or unintentionally torn out.
Inconsistent Data & Conclusion: In many scenarios, the objective of a lab will be to experimentally verify
some theoretical equation or result and your objective and conclusion section should reflect this.
However, whether or not you successfully “demonstrate” the objective is based on your data and your
conclusion MUST reflect your data. You will feel a strong compulsion to tell me “The lab was successful!!!”as
you likely believe this is what I want to hear. However, if your data doesn’t support this conclusion,
I will be much happier to hear you say “The lab was unsuccessful!!! This is because...”.
Needlessly writing too much: You should try to be as concise as you can which means, in our case, that you
should write only as much as is necessary to convey the necessary information. For all of the labs we do
this semester, your writing in the lab notebook will only need to be 1 or 2 paragraphs, at most. overly
verbose writing clouds intent and your results, which makes for a messy and hard to read lab notebook.
You WILL NOT lose points for...
Bad Data: I realize this sounds strange, but stick with me for a minute. If, after you’ve taken your data, you
notice some problems you will be expected to perform the problematic component of the experiment
again. However, during some labs there is not enough time remaining to re-collect your data and you
will have to work with what you’ve got. In this scenario, you will not lose points. Remember, after all,
that the purpose of the lab is to teach you proper experimental procedure and note taking and sometimes,
even in the real world of experimental science, things just don’t work out the first time. Note,
however, that your Conclusion MUST be consistent with your data and, therefore, you should conclude
that you were not successful. Also, your conclusion section, not your error analysis section, should include
a discussion about what mistakes you made that led to the problematic data.

physics 151/170 lab syllabus & handout 4
LAB MANUAL GUIDE
Objective/Procedure [Short: 1-2 paragraphs]
• What is the end result we hope to achieve from this lab.
• What equations/principles will we be taking advantage of.
• What materials will be necessary.
Data
• Data tables with labels, captions and all relevant units.
Calculations and Analysis
• Calculations of Averages, Standard Deviation and
Standard Deviation of the Mean (with units).
• Calculations using required equations, for example using
the period equation for a pendulum (with units).
• Propagation of Error/Uncertainty (with units).
• Plots and Graphs (with units, label and caption).
Error Analysis and Conclusion[Short: 1-2 paragraphs]
• What errors were present in this lab (i.e. what in this lab
will affect your results but which we could not or chose
not to account for or improve on). Make sure you are both
quantitative and concise.
• Did you successfully demonstrate what the objective
claimed you were trying to demonstrate? If YES, justify.
If NO, explain why? Is it related to scientific errors or did
you make any mistakes?
• Answer any questions assigned at the end of the section.