GENERAL
PHYSICS LABS
INSTRUCTOR:
DR. ENG. TRAN TRUNG NGHIA
MSC. TRAN ANH TU
EMAIL: TTNGHIA@HCMUT.EDU.VN
Course outline

The course provides you an introduction to classical
experimental physics. This will include studying some
basics concepts in physics, the development of
problem-solving skills, and the learning of laboratory
techniques. Labs include experiments on
mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism,
and optics.

The goals of this course are:

To learn how to properly take measurements and
record data;

To learn how to interpret results both statistically and
graphically;

To experimentally confirm the theories presented in the
lecture.
Course learning outcomes
STT
Chuẩn đầu ra môn học / Course learning outcomes
CDIO
L.O.1
Đến cuối khóa học, sinh viên sẽ có thể nắm vững các nguyên tắc
cơ bản của cơ học, nhiệt động học, điện trường và từ trường ở trình
độ đại học. Các sinh viên sẽ có thể hiểu các khái niệm vật lý cơ bản
được ứng dụng trong cuộc sống hàng ngày.
1.1.5
At the end of the course, students will be able to master the basic
principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and
magnetism at university level. Students can understand the
underlying physics concepts applied in daily life.
L.O.2
L.O.3
Có khả năng thiết kế, thực hiện, thu thập, xử lý và đánh giá các thí
nghiệm vật lý cơ bản.
Having the ability of design, realizing, data processing and
evaluating basic physics experiments.
Có khả năng tự học, tìm hiểu, soạn thảo và trình bày (viết và nói)
các chủ đề Vật lý liên quan.
Having the competence of self-learning, research, drafting and
presentation (written and spoken) physics related topics.
2.1, 2.2
2.1, 2.3
Learning Strategies and
Assessment Scheme



To ensure the learning outcomes, students must:

understand clearly the lab content and prepare the report format
before each lab;

complete all lab procedure and collect carefully related data;

process and evaluate measured data and complete the report.
Assessment Scheme:

Lab practice and reports: 50%

Final exam: 50%
Textbooks:

[1] Nguyễn Minh Châu, Nguyễn Dương Hùng: Thí nghiệm Vật lý đại
cương A1, NXB ĐHQG-HCM, 2007

[2] Huynh Quang Linh, Tran Thi Thu Hanh, Ngo Thi Minh Hien, Vo
Nhat Quang, Tran Phuoc Duy and Tran Trung Nghia, General
Physics Labs (English version), Internal HCMUT Textbook, 2017.
Group and Team







The class will be divided into two groups: Group A
and Group B.
Each group consisted of these small teams (max. 6
teams that called 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b).
Each team consisted of max. 5 students.
Group A will conduct the experiment in the 3rd
week, while Group B will prepare their work at home.
The following week, group B will conduct the
experiment, while group A will submit the
experimental report.
Then we rotate the groups until each group
completes 06 experiments.
Each team has a team logbook where you keep
records of work done in the laboratory.
Schedule

15 weeks (two-hour lab/week) during the semester.
Week
Work
Notes
1
Introduce
All class
2
Measurement and Uncertainties
All class
3
Group A (Lab.)
4
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
5
Group A (Lab.) + Group B (Report)
6
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
7
Group A (Lab.) + Group B (Report)
8
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
9
Group A (Lab.) + Group B (Report)
10
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
11
Group A (Lab.) + Group B (Report)
12
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
13
Group A (Lab.) + Group B (Report)
14
Group B (Lab.) + Group A (Report)
15
Final Exam + Group B (Report)
All class
General Policies
1.
Refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, and littering in all
physics laboratories.
2.
Stay inside the laboratory only during lab classes. Only
officially enrolled students are permitted inside the lab.
3.
Use all laboratory fixtures properly. Do not sit on tables
and do not open cabinets or lockers unless there is an
instruction to do so.
4.
Turn off all electrical appliances in the laboratory if they
are not being used. If you are the last person to leave the
laboratory, turn off the lights and fans/aircon, lock the
doors, and close the windows.
5.
Use only the computers in the physics lab for purposes
related to experiments performed.
6.
Maintain the cleanliness of the lab at all times. Always
observe proper safety procedures in the lab.
Borrowing Procedures
and Use of Equipment
1.
All pieces of equipment necessary for physics
experiments may be borrowed from the Instructor.
2.
Students must present an accomplished
preparation experiment procedure and an ID
before any lab equipment is loaned.
3.
Borrow only the pieces of equipment which are
specified in your experiment or are required by the
lab instructor.
4.
The borrower and his/her group are held
responsible for all pieces of equipment borrowed
from the General Physics Laboratory.
5.
Pieces of equipment borrowed must be returned
upon completion of the experiment.
Lab Safety
1.
Students are advised to read all precautionary notes on all pieces of
equipment before using them. All questions about safety precautions
on the equipment being used must be addressed to the lab instructor.
2.
The lab instructor must first check the set-up for experiments requiring
the use of electrical components before any of these are plugged in
or turned on. In case of faulty equipment, the instructor must be
informed immediately so that a replacement can be secured from
the Physics Stockroom.
3.
Experiments involving the use of boiling water, heaters, and the like
must be performed close to the water sinks in the lab. Proper safety
procedures must be employed when performing such experiments.
4.
Chemicals used in some experiments must be handled with utmost
care. Used and unused chemicals must be returned to the Physics
Stockroom as soon as the experiment is finished. Chemicals should
never be thrown into the water sinks or the trash bins.
5.
All injuries, however minor, must be reported to the lab instructor.
6.
In case of a minor injury, the instructor and/or the lab technicians may
administer first aid. The student may be sent by the instructor to the
university clinic accompanied by a person designated by the
instructor.
7.
If the instructor and/or the lab technicians feel they cannot administer
the proper first-aid treatment, the student must be brought to the
clinic immediately, if possible accompanied by a lab technician.
Special Lab Experiments
1.
2.
3.
4.
Special or make-up experiments outside of regular
class hours are discouraged.
In case of a special or make-up experiment outside
the regular class hours, the student has to confirm
the availability of the technicians, the equipment,
and the lab room before scheduling one with
his/her instructor. Special or make-up experiments
must only be performed in a lab room.
Special or make-up experiments outside the regular
class hours are allowed only upon the approval of
the lab instructor. No special or make-up
experiments are allowed if the lab instructor cannot
be present during the special or make-up
experiment.
Lab technicians are not required to assist the
student during the special or make- up experiment.
Breakage, Loss, and
Damage to Lab Equipment
1.
Any incident of breakage, loss, or damage to any lab
equipment must be reported immediately to the lab
instructor.
2.
The borrower and his/her group members are responsible for
the replacement or payment of the broken, lost, or damaged
equipment.
3.
The cost of the damage to the equipment is assessed by the
lab coordinator and technicians and a billing statement is
forwarded to the borrower.
4.
Students must pay for, repair, or replace the broken, lost, or
damaged equipment on or before the 12th week of the
trimester; otherwise, they would not be cleared from the lab
and not be allowed to enroll in the following trimester.
Furthermore, they would not be given their final grade for
that lab subject.
5.
Once the equipment has been paid for, replaced or
repaired, students would be issued a clearance by the lab
coordinator.
Academic Misconduct &
Special Accommodations

All students must practice academic honesty.
Academic misconduct is subject to an academic
penalty by the course instructor and/or
disciplinary sanction by the University.

Students with disabilities may request reasonable
modifications by contacting the instructor. The
HCMUT assures equal access to instruction
through collaboration between students with
disabilities, instructors. "Reasonable" means the
University permits no fundamental alterations of
academic standards or retroactive modifications.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1.
You must arrive on time since instructions are given
and announcements are made at the start of class.
2.
Group and lab partners will be assigned to you in
the first lab meeting. You will do experiments in a
team but you are expected to bear your share of
responsibility in doing the experiments. You must
actively participate in obtaining the data and
merely watch your partners do it for you.
3.
The assigned work place must be kept neat and
clean at all times. Coats / jackets must be hung at
appropriate place, and all personal possessions
other than those needed for the lab should be kept
in the table drawers or under the table.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
(cont.)
4.
The data must be recorded neatly with a ballpen and presented in a logical way. You may
want to record the data values, with units, in
columns and identify the quantity that is being
measured at the top of each column.
5.
If a mistake is made in recording a datum item,
cancel the wrong value by drawing a fine line
through it and record the correct value legibly.
6.
Get your data sheet, with your name, ID number
and date on the right corner, signed by the
instructor before you leave the laboratory. This
will be the only valid proof that you actually did
the experiment.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
(cont.)
7.
Each team will have their own data sheet and
submit their own hand-written report for grading
to the instructor by the next scheduled lab
session. No late reports will be accepted.
8.
Actual data must be used in preparing the
report. Use of fabricated, altered, and other
students’ data in your report will be considered
as cheating. No credit will be given for that
particular lab and the matter will be reported to
the Office.
9.
Be honest and report your results truthfully. If
there is an unreasonable discrepancy from the
expected results, give the best possible
explanation.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
(cont.)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
If you must be absent, let your instructor know as
soon as possible. A missed lab can be made up
only if a written valid excuse is brought to the
attention of your instructor with in a week of missed
lab.
You should bring your calculator, a straight-edge
scale and other accessories to class. It might be
advantageous to do some quick calculations on
your data to make sure that there are no gross
errors.
Eating, drinking, and smoking in the laboratory are
not permitted
Refrain from making undue noise and disturbance.
Any kind of feedback on the improvement of this
course is always welcome.
REPORT FORMAT
1.
Title Page: This page should show only the students’ name, ID
number, the name of the experiment, and the name of the student’s
partners.
2.
Objective: This is a statement giving the purpose of the experiment.
3.
Theory: You should summarize the equations used in the calculations
to arrive at the results for each part of the experiment.
4.
Apparatus: List the equipment used to do the experiment.
5.
Procedure: Describe how the experiment was carried out.
6.
Calculations and Results: Provide one sample calculation to show
the use of the equations. Presents your results in tabular form that is
understandable and can be easily followed by the instructor. Use
graphs and diagrams, whenever they are required. It may also
include the comparison of the computed results with the accepted
values together with the pertinent percentage errors. Give a brief
discussion for the origin of the errors.
7.
Conclusion: Relate the results of your experiment to the stated
objective.
8.
Data Sheet: Attach the data sheet for the experiment that has been
signed by your instructor.
Individual Attendance Record
Full name
Nguyen Van A
Student ID
19XXXXX
Group: A
Team
A1b
Date
Experiment
Student’s Signature
Lab Session Replacement Form