PHYS 1010, 1410 & 1420
Contents
General Information
These labs serve as the practical teaching experience for PHYS 1010, PHYS 1410, and PHYS 1420. The labs are located in 102C and 102D Bethune College and the classes are divided into Sections X and Y and Z. To find out which Section you are in, check the lists posted on the lab website or on the bulletin board located at the entrance to 102C Bethune College. Throughout the course of the year, there are 11 experiments. Check the schedule carefully to see which weeks you have experiments.
Why perform labs at all?
- All science is based on a foundation of experimental data and your experiments will exemplify and illuminate many of the principles studied in the lectures.
- The laboratory will be a medium for teaching some new material which will not be covered in the lecture course.
- It gives you an opportunity to train your brain, eyes and hands in good experimental techniques, while familiarizing yourself with some of the instruments used in experimental science.
- Obtaining good results is important, particularly if you intend to go on to more difficult labs. But do not get so involved in the mechanics of "doing" that you lose sight of the goal of the experiment, the theory behind it, and its wider applications.
Lab Coordinator
The lab coordinator is responsible for the administration of these labs. Should you have issues such as- you wish to change lab sections, you have missed your scheduled lab time, or other matters for which the TA cannot assist, please see the lab coordinator during the office hours listed below.
| Lab Coordinator | Matthew George |
| Office Hours | MWF 4:30pm 5:30pm |
| Location | Bethune 102 C |
Teaching Assistants
The Teaching Assistant is responsible for providing you the physics knowledge, and the practical know-how required in order to complete these experiments successfully in a timely manner. You should pay careful attention to what they have to say, and heed their advice. They will also be responsible for marking your lab report. They have the authority to deny entry or remove from the lab any student they feel is: acting in an unsafe manner, arriving more than 15 minutes late, grossly unprepared, causing major disruptions, or attempting to stay beyond the 3 hour limit.
Lab Rules
- Lab safety is the number one priority. If you are unsure on how to operate the equipment, or believe you may be doing something which might cause harm to you or your classmates, stop and and ask the TA for clarification.
- If you are purposely misusing the equipment in a manner which is obviously unsafe, you will be told to leave, and receive a mark of zero for this experiment.
- Show up on time- the TA will give a short presentation at the beginning of each lab, where you will learn some very useful information. If you show up late, you will miss this. If you show up more than 15 mintues late, the TA can forbid you from performing the experiment, and you will receive a mark of zero.
- You must leave the workstation as you have found it! All the equipment must be exactly in the manner in which you found it. All scraps of paper, eraser bits, and other garbage must be cleaned from the station before you leave. Failure to do so will result in a loss of 25% for that lab.
- Each lab session is 3 hours, there are no provisions made for extra time. 15 minutes before the end of the lab, you should start cleaning up you workstation, and leave the room by the end of the lab session.
- Report broken or damaged equipment to the TA immediately. You are not responsible for broken equipment, you will not be charged, and your mark will not suffer. We need to know of broken equipment so we can fix or replace it before the next lab session.
- No more than two students working together as lab partners is allowed.
- A valid medical note is the only acceptable reason for missing a lab. This must be presented to the lab coordinator in order to be considered for scheduling or an exemption.
Prelab Preparation
You will know from the posted schedule which experiment you will be doing. Before coming to do the experiment, you are expected to read the appropriate section of the manual. Be sure you understand the theory involved, consult your textbook, and plan your practical work. Most of the experiments contain prelab exercises which must be completed on a separate sheet of paper before you come to the lab. This preparation is most important. It is unlikely that you will be able to finish the experiment satisfactorily or learn from them if you do not prepare beforehand. There may be short, unannounced quizzes on the experiment during some labs.
Lab Reports
A sample lab report is included in the manual (appendix F).
We do not require you to write an elaborate report for each experiment. The report should include name, name of partner, title and date. The experimental data, whenever possible, should be summarized in the form of a table, with title, column headings, units and experimental errors. Graphs should have titles, axes labelled and units included. Errors of all measured quantities should be indicated on graphs in the form of error bars. Calculations should be shown and organized in a logical way, with short comments and explanations. Just formulas with substituted data are not acceptable. Calculations of errors is an important part of the lab report (next section in the manual provides more information regarding error calculations and rounding of final result and its error).
You are encouraged to record in your report for future reference any comments regarding the theory or method or apparatus which enhance your understanding. Your report should resemble a research scientist's day-to-day experimental log rather than a polished scientific paper.
It is preferred that you write laboratory reports in notebooks, which encourage better organization and neatness. Do not tear pages out of the books, if a mistake is made, simply cross out the mistake neatly. Two books will be required to be used alternately throughout the year. Light weight coil notebooks are suitable. Put your name and lab time clearly on the outside.
The three-hour session should be sufficient for the taking of measurements and for calculations and conclusions, etc. Be punctual - latecomers will find it difficult to complete the assignment. All lab reports, finished or unfinished, must be handed in to your demonstrator by the end of the three-hour lab session. Your report will be marked by the demonstrator whose name appears on the top of the attendance list which you sign. It will be your responsibility to collect your report from this demonstrator during your next laboratory session. At this time you should discuss with your demonstrator any matters concerning the report(s).
Lab Marks
Depending in which course you are enrolled (1010,1410,1420) the amount your lab marks contribute to your final mark can vary from 10%-20%. The course requires 11 labs, and your lowest of the 11 will be dropped when calculating your final lab mark. Your lab reports will be marked by the TA, with some fraction for the prelab, error analysis, results, answers to questions, neatness and completeness.
Lab Partners
Some students claim that they learn more while working with a lab partner; others prefer to work alone. For certain experiments where basic techniques, etc. are explored, you will be required to work individually - this will be stated in the lab outline for those particular experiments. For the other experiments we will try to provide sufficient apparatus so that you may work with another student who has been assigned the same experiment or alone, as you prefer. For a few of the experiments the mechanical work is so difficult that one person cannot perform the experiment satisfactorily. If two students work together, each should take a turn at reading all the instruments and although both will have the same data, each student must submit an independent report, with independent calculations.
Lab partners are randomly assigned. This facilitates meeting many friends, promotes social skills as well as reduces the probability of dishonesty when doing lab work. The details of how lab partners are assigned will be explained in the first lab.
