Please note that this syllabus should be regarded as only a general guide to the course. The instructor may have changed
specific course content and requirements subsequent to posting this syllabus. Last Modified: 15:10:20 05/12/2016
BOSTON COLLEGE
Department of Physics
INTRODUCTORY LABORATORY II - PHYS2051
Summer 2016
Laboratory Director
Dr. Andrzej Herczyński
Office: 230 D Higgins Hall
Email: andrzej@bc.edu
Laboratory Manager
Dr. Yun Peng
Office: 245 Higgins Hall
Office Phone: (617) 552-2678
Instructors
Mr. Albert Shi and Mr. Alex Shvonski
Office: 245 Higgins Hall
Lab Meeting Time: M Tu Th 4:00 – 5:50pm
Required materials
Introductory Physics Laboratory Manual 3e, by A. Herczyński, Wiley 2011.
Laboratory notebook.
Content and relation to lectures
The sequence of the laboratory experiments that will be performed is given on a separate
sheet. Experiments chosen correspond to several major topics covered by introductory
physics courses and are arranged (as far as possible) so that they follow after the lectures on a
given topic. There are nine experiments to be performed in the summer, and in all of them
except O1 (Physical Optics) data is compiled manually. However, you can use computer
software such as Kaleidagraph to create tables of data and to make plots and analyze them.
Error analysis
Every measurement is uncertain and estimating that uncertainty is a crucial and necessary
task. There is little meaning to experimental results unless one can ascertain the level of
confidence in them. Error analysis is the science (and art!) of evaluating experimental
uncertainties. Three brief guides to error analysis are included in your manual. They follow
An Introduction to Error Analysis by John R. Taylor (University Science Book, 2nd ed.,
1998, chapters 1-3 and parts of 4). Your instructor will indicate the level of error analysis
expected in each lab report.
Requirements and Grading
Laboratory procedures and rules of conduct are summarized in the manual. The principal
requirement is that you attend all lab sessions and that you hand in all lab reports on time.
Lab reports will be collected at the start of the very next meeting following the experiment
performed. Given the fast pace of the summer session, makeup arrangements will be made
only when the absence was absolutely unavoidable. Except for extreme circumstances, such
as medical emergency, late or missing lab reports will receive no credit.
Each lab will be graded on the scale 0-10 points, for the maximum of 90 points in the course.
Your instructor will indicate the necessary elements of the lab reports and the grading
scheme. The final letter grades will be assigned based on the numerical scores.
Note
All students are expected to follow Boston College’s code of conduct. In particular, copying
from any source (w/o proper citation) will be considered a serious breach of academic
integrity (see: http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/polisci/integrity.html).
BOSTON COLLEGE
Department of Physics
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS LABORATORY II - PHYS2051
Summer 2016
Laboratory Calendar – Group A
Meeting
Date
Day
1
July 5
Tuesday
2
July 6
Wednesday
3
July 7
4
Experiment
Room
Introduction – E0
253
E1 – Static Charges
253
Thursday
E2 – Equipotential Lines
255
July 11
Monday
E3 – Parallel-Plate Capacitor
253
5
July 12
Tuesday
E4 – Resistance and I-V Plots
255
6
July 14
Thursday
E5 – Simple Circuits
253
7
July 18
Monday
B1 – e/m for the Electron
255
8
July 19
Tuesday
B4 – RC and RL Circuits
253
9
July 21
Thursday
B3 – Magnetic Torque
255
10
July 25
Monday
O1 – Physical Optics
253
July 26
Tuesday
July 28
Thursday
Makeups (permission required,
by arrangement)
253/255
BOSTON COLLEGE
Department of Physics
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS LABORATORY II - PHYS2051
Summer 2016
Laboratory Calendar – Group B
Meeting
Date
Day
1
July 5
Tuesday
July 6
Wednesday
2
July 7
3
Experiment
Room
Introduction – E0
253
Thursday
E1 – Static Charges
253
July 11
Monday
E2 – Equipotential Lines
255
4
July 12
Tuesday
E3 – Parallel-Plate Capacitor
253
5
July 14
Thursday
E4 – Resistance and I-V Plots
255
6
July 18
Monday
E5 – Simple Circuits
253
7
July 19
Tuesday
B1 – e/m for the Electron
255
8
July 21
Thursday
B4 – RC and RL Circuits
253
9
July 25
Monday
B3 – Magnetic Torque
255
10
July 26
Tuesday
O1 – Physical Optics
253
July 28
Thursday
Makeups (permission required,
by arrangement)
253/255