PHY 370: Experimental Physics, Fall 2009
Text: An Introduction to Error Analysis 2nd Ed.( John Taylor), The Art of Electronics 2nd.
Ed. (Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill)
Instructor: Dr. Matt Marone Room 243 Science and Engineering Building
Phone 301-2597, e-mail: marone_mj@mercer.edu
Office Hours: MW 3:00-4:00 PM, outside of these hours please make an appointment.
You may email me your questions as well.
Class: MW 2-2:50, TR 1:40-2:55 SEB 115
Prerequisite: MAT 192 Phy 162
General:
Introduction to experimental techniques including: computerized data acquisition, data
analysis, analog electronics and instrumentation. Students will also learn the LabVIEW
programming language. This is a very hands on class. The nature of experimental work
is such that you may find it necessary to work in the laboratory for additional time
beyond what is now scheduled. I will be happy to open up the laboratory for you, outside
of the regularly scheduled times. The computers and experimental equipment are not for
personal use, but only for use on authorized projects. Do not down load your e-mail onto
laboratory computers, surf the web or otherwise use the equipment in a manner that has
not been approved by the instructor.
Grades: Your Final class grade will be derived from the following percentages:
LabVIEW Programs and electronics experiments (30%)
Franck Hertz Experiment(20%)
Acoustics/Resonance experiment(20%)
Impulse Experiment (20%)
Lab. Notebook and Documentation (10%)
A (90 and above), B+ (85-89), B (80-84), C+ (75-79), C (70-74), D (60-69) F (below 60)
Lab. Notebook and Documentation:
Keeping an accurate laboratory notebook is very important in experimental work. You
must document all your experiments, circuits and programs. Even the things that do not
work should be written down for future reference. Should you come up with a new idea
or invention, the documentation will be especially important in establishing rights to your
invention. Please purchase a laboratory notebook. The Bookstore has a large supply of
notebooks that are used for chemistry classes. Notebooks should be bound and have
numbered pages. Spaces should be available for signatures, dates and witnesses.
Remember that 10% of your grade will come from you ability to keep a good notebook.
Laboratory Reports/Programs: Laboratory reports and computer programs are to be
the individual work of the student. You may work together with your lab partner, but the
report must be written by you and you alone. The format of the reports will be explained
in the laboratory class. No late laboratory reports or projects will be accepted!
LabVIEW programs are to be fully documented including help information for all
front panel items. You will submit the program to me on a disk. I will run your program
to see how, and if it accomplishes the required task. Part of the grade assigned for the
program will reflect the ease by which the user may interact and use the program for the
desired objective (“user friendly”). The logic and organization of the program diagram
will also enter into the grade as well as help items and documentation.
Franck-Hertz Experiment: We shall attempt to recreate the famous Frank-Hertz
experiment. This experiment helped to support the Bohr picture of the atom. We will
perform the experiment with modern equipment. Before you are allowed to start the
experiment, you must pass a short oral interview, which demonstrates your basic
knowledge of the experiment. The exact details of this experiment will be provided to
you in class. There are, however, some general ideas, which govern your report. You
should provide a historical context, which indicates why the original experiment was so
important to physics. You will search out early references and read the English
translation of their original paper. You will describe experimental techniques and
equipment used. Theory, mathematical analysis of data, and a logical chain of thought
resulting in a conclusion are all important parts of experimental work, and will be
covered in your report.
Electronics/Instrumentation experiments: You will conduct several electronics
experiments and learn how to use some common laboratory instruments. We will also
cover basics AC circuits and Op-Amps. Laboratory reports are required for these
experiments. In some cases you will simply be learning how to use a particular
instrument and make some basic measurements. Work sheets and notebook entries must
be included.
Acoustics/resonance Experiment: In this experiment we will attempt to measure the
resonant frequencies of pipes and musical instruments. The physics is well known and the
challenge will be in building the apparatus to perform the experiment. We will use
LabVIEW to write the control software. A computer will be used control a variable
frequency oscillator. This will drive a speaker located near the device under test. A
microphone near the test article will be used to measure the sound level. We will then
graph the sound level as a function of frequency to reveal the resonant modes.
Impulse Experiment: The objective of this experiment will be to acquire thrust as a
function of time for a small model rocket motor. We will build and design our own
apparatus. The intention is make a lecture demonstration device that can be use to teach
concepts of impulse and momentum. A LabVIEW Interface will be constructed.
The Acoustics and Impulse experiments will be fully documented in your laboratory
notebooks you will write a report that includes your mechanical design of the apparatus
and fully documented software. You will be required to demonstrate your apparatus and
provide experimental data. I will discuss the format with you in more detail.
Illness: If you are ill and will miss class please contact me. We can make arrangements
to make up the missed work and I can inform you what material you need to read. you
are ill, please do not come to class. Students are advised to call or email the Student
Health Center ( 301-2696 or shcmacon@mercer.edu) to report influenza-like symptoms.
Students judged to have influenza-like symptoms will be instructed that they should not
attend class, avoid contact with others as much as possible, and return to their normal
schedule after they are free of fever (100°F or 37.8°C), or signs of a fever without the use
of fever-reducing medications.
Honor code: You are bound by the Mercer honor code. The College’s academic
misconduct policy will be followed. All work, for which a grade is received, must be the
original work of the student without aid or assistance of another party, or any printed
and or electronic data/information. Academic misconduct cases will be referred to the
honor council and the student will automatically receive a grade of incomplete (IC)
pending a ruling by the honor council.
Cell Phone and Pager Usage: Out of courtesy for all those participating in the learning
experience, all cell phones and pagers must be turned off before entering any classroom,
lab, or formal academic or performance event
Classroom etiquette: You are expected to conduct yourself as a mature student,
respectful of your classmates and instructor. You may be asked to leave the room if your
behavior is disturbing the instructor or your fellow students.
Documented Disability Statement: Students with a documented disability should
inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting. The instructor will refer you
to the office of Student Support Services (SSS) for consultation regarding evaluation,
documentation of your disability, and recommendations for accommodation, if needed.
Students will receive from SSS the Faculty Accommodation Form. On this form SSS
will identify reasonable accommodations for this class. The form must be given to the
course instructor for signature and then returned to SSS.
To take full advantage of disability services, it is recommended that students contact the
Office of Student Support Services, immediately. The office is located on the third floor
of the Connell Student Center.
Evaluation forms: In an ongoing effort to improve the quality of instruction, each
student enrolled in this course is required to complete an end-of-semester course
evaluation, to be administered in class on our last day. Students failing to submit the
evaluation by the last day of classes will be assigned the grade of “Incomplete,” which
will automatically turn into an “F” if the evaluation is not submitted by the midterm of
the very next semester.
Important Dates
Last Day for Late Registration, Drop/Add, August 28
Labor Day September 7
Mid Term, October 14
Fall Break, October 15-16
Last Day for Course Withdrawal, October 29
Thanksgiving Break, November 25-27
Last Class Day, December 11
There is no final exam for this class.
Tentative Schedule of Experiments
Date
Jan 10
Jan 12
Jan 17
Jan 19
Jan 24
Jan 26
Jan 31
Feb 2
Feb 7
Feb 9
Feb 14
Feb 16
Feb 21
Feb 23
Feb 28
Mar 2
Mar 14
Mar 16
Mar 21
Mar 23
Mar 28
Mar 30
Apr 4
Apr 6
Apr 11
Apr 13
Apr 18
Apr 20
Experiment
LabVIEW Intro 1
LabVIEW Intro 2
LabVIEW Intro 3
Oscilloscope, function generator
Millikan Oil Drop
Millikan Oil Drop
Millikan Oil Drop
Vacuum Systems
Vacuum Systems
Vacuum Systems
Op-Amps
Op-Amps
Op-Amps
AC Circuits
AC Circuits
Machine Shop
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Flux Gate Magnetometer
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Online Experiment
Final Report on Online project