Course Name:
Experimental Techniques in Physics
Other Course Description or Assignment Information:
Calendar Description:
This course is designed to aid students in the development of core practical skills in physics. Students will be required to conduct a series of experiments exploring fundamental concepts in mechanics, electricity & magnetism, thermal physics, as well as the experimental basis of quantum physics. There will be a strong emphasis on data and error analysis with a variety of software applications.
Other Course Description or Assignment Information:
This course is not a traditional “lab course”, but rather seeks to introduce students to basic experimental techniques, measurement theory and experiment design. The primary goal is to develop an appreciation of the role and significance of experimentation in the field of science. Students will be exposed to some widely employed experimental techniques and be introduced to some of the instrumentation that is used in experimental physics research. Students will understand how to critically assess the quality of experimental data and begin to develop their skills in the modeling of experimental data and presenting scientific research. A major emphasis of PHYS*2180 is the development of strong technical communication skills, both oral and written, through the completion of formal lab reports written in the style of scientific papers and group presentations in the class. There is no single textbook which covers the complete course.
Recommended Course references:
A.C. Melissinos and J. Napolitano. Experiments in Modern Physics (2nd Edition), Academic Press, 2003. (University of Guelph Library Call #: QC33.M52 2003)
D.W. Preston and E.R. Dietz. The Art of Experimental Physics, Wiley, 1991. (University of Guelph Library Call #: QC33.P74 1991)
J.R. Taylor. An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements (2nd Edition), University Science Books, 1997. (University of Guelph Library Call #: QC39.T4 1997)
J.R. Taylor, C.D. Zafiratos, and M.A. Dubson. Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers (2nd Edition), Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. (University of Guelph Library Call #: QC21.3.T39 2004)
Students will also make use of their course textbooks from Electricity & Magnetism and Mechanics.
Projected Class Enrolment: