Physics 140 (Electronics Lab) Syllabus, Spring 2014
Instructor: Branton J. Campbell, N261 ESC, 422-5758, branton_campbell@byu.edu
Learning Outcomes: Build and debug basic analog circuits that are of practical use in experimental
physics such as voltage dividers, diode rectifiers, inverting and non-inverting op amp circuits, and
transistor switches. Demonstrate proper use and limitations of electrical sources and test equipment
including DC power supplies, multimeters, oscilloscopes, and function generators. Build and debug basic
digital circuits that use components such as digital gates, flip-flops, counters, and digital to analog
converters.
Textbook: The Physics 140 Electronics Laboratory Course Packet will be made available in PDF format
on the course website.
Times/Locations: Multi-section lectures and individual lab sections will be held each week as indicated
in the course schedule. Office hours can be scheduled anytime via email.
Lectures: The weekly lecture will introduce concepts related to the lab exercises. They will also guide
you around potential pitfalls and help you to make more effective use of your time in the lab. Please read
through the relevant introductory material in the packet before each attending lecture. Note that the inclass exercises will be completed during each lecture and submitted at the beginning of each lab section;
your grade will reflect attendance, participation and learning.
Lab exercises: Each lab described in the course packet includes a series of exercises that you need to
complete during your lab section. Those indicated by a boxed score to the right of the exercise will be
graded while the others are optional. I would encourage you to do as many of the exercises as possible,
including the optional ones, to give you more experience with the course material. Students are welcome
to consult with one another regarding your lab exercises, though each student will build their own circuits.
Lab kits: Each student will purchase a lab kit, which contains the electronic components required to
complete each lab outlined in the course packet. Prior to coming to the first lab, you must purchase the
kit ($40.00, signature card only) in room 416 of the Clyde Building during regular business hours.
Some kit components will be distributed during the first lab to those have completed the purchase. The
components in your kit will burn out from time to time, depending on your level of experience. Within
reasonable limits, we should be able to replace these components for you free of charge. Though you
will surely want to keep your kit at the end of the semester, some students will choose to leave theirs
behind. Any kits left behind will collected and restocked at the beginning of the next semester, and sold
to future students at a discount.
Late lab work: If you get behind on your lab exercises, you still be permitted to pass them off to your
TA at the very beginning of your next scheduled lab period without penalty. Any work accepted later
than that will be dated and penalized at a rate of 25% per week. For a lab containing five 2-point exercises,
suppose that you complete the first two exercises during the regularly-scheduled lab period, the third
exercise at the beginning of the next lab period, the fourth exercise in the middle of the next lab period
(one week late), and the last exercise three weeks late. Your score will then be 2+2+2+2(0.75)+2(0.25) =
8 points. No lab exercises will be accepted after the last day of classes. The labs do tend to get increasingly
difficult as the semester progresses; so please make every effort to keep up. You may work on your lab
exercises outside of your normally scheduled lab period as long as the room is not being used by another
section or course. Exceptions are possible in extenuating circumstances, but only if requested in advance
or reasonably soon after the due date.
Exams: There will be a one-hour open-book midterm in the testing center, which will assess your
understanding of core concepts. There will also be a three-hour comprehensive in-lab final exam at the
regularly-scheduled final exam period associated with your individual lab-section time. For the final
exam, you will be given a list of circuit descriptions, and will be required build at least three of them
without substantial assistance from TA or instructor, demonstrating that they perform according to
specification.
Grades: Most students will find that they are able to receive an A or a B grade in Physics 140 by
participating during lecture sessions and by conscientiously completing the lab assignment each week.
Final grades will be weighted according to the following formula.
(labs)*75% + (in-class exercises)*5% + (mid-term exam)*5% + (final exam)*15%
Score 95%
Grade A
90%
A-
85%
B+
80%
B
75%
B-
70%
C+
65%
C
60%
C-
55%
D+
50%
D
45%
D-
Physics 140 Class Schedule
Lab
Topic
Lectures (C261 ESC)
Tu/Th 10-11 AM
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
# 10
# 11
# 12
# 13a
# 13b
Introduction to circuits
Input/output impedance
AC measurements
RC circuits and filters
Diodes and Rectification
Transistors & MOSFETs
Op-amps
Comparators
The 555 timer
Digital gates
Flip-flops
Counters and displays
Audio amplifier
Audio amplifier
Apr 29
May 1
May 6
May 8
May 13
May 15
May 20
May 22
May 27
May 29
Jun 3
Jun 5
Jun 10
Jun 12
Labs (S420 ESC)
Sec 1 (Tu/Th, 12 – 2 PM)
Section 2 (Tu/Th, 2 - 4 PM)
Apr 29
May 1
May 6
May 8
May 13
May 15
May 20
May 22
May 27
May 29
Jun 3
Jun 5
Jun 10
Jun 12
Mid-Term Exam: Mon. Jun. 2 through Wed. Jun. 4 in the Testing Center
University Final Exam
Section 1: Thu. Jun. 19, 3-5 PM
Section 2: Thu. Jun. 19, 1-3 PM
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The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to be honest. Students come to the university not only to
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Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU
students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and
be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms,
including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.
BYU Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic
work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your
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you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal
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Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably
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complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767).
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