Intermediate Laboratory (PHYS*3510)

Course Information

Instruction

Office Hours

I will be available almost all of the time to help you set up the labs.

Meeting Time

Evaluation

The first formal lab and the lab books containing results of the first experiment will be due at the end of week 5, the second formal lab will be due by the end of week 9 and the last formal lab is due at the end of week 12. There will be a penalty for handing in lab reports and/or lab books late. You will be expected to budget your time in order to finish all the necessary work.

Formal lab reports will be written for 3 of the 5 labs selected. For all labs, detailed notes describing the experiments performed, the data obtained, and the analysis of the data, are to be kept in a hard-bound lab book.

Description

During the first two weeks of classes there will be two lectures on radioactivity (Domenico Barillari, Environmental Health and Safety ) and laboratory safety (David Atkinson, Physics).

The large increase in the number of students requires us to change our operating procedures for the advanced labs. We will be asking the students to split into two equal groups, group A and group B. Those in group A will begin experiments next week (week 2) and will have one week to complete the data collection for that experiment. Students in group B will then have access to the equipment in week 3, for one week. The two groups will alternate in this fashion throughout the semester with group A doing experiments during the even weeks and group B doing experiments during the odd weeks. All experiments should be completed by week 11. The labs will be open all day, every week-day to provide maximum flexibility. The TAs will be in the labs during regular class hours and will be ”on-call” the rest of the time. During the ’off-weeks’ the students will write up their results and prepare for the next experiment.

Each student will be required to do 5 of the labs listed below, keeping a careful record of the procedures and results in a hard-bound lab book (no loose leaf). This is common laboratory practice, the purpose being to enable the researcher to refer at any later time to his lab books for any detail which he may have forgotten about how and when the measurements were performed. A good lab book contains enough detail that the researcher can reconstruct everything that was done. A description of the set up is required as well as a description of procedures used. All the raw data obtained needs to be included in the lab book. Preliminary analysis of the results should also be entered there.

For three of the labs the student is required to write a more detailed, formal lab report in the style used for scientific research publications. Thus, each report will include:

• I. An introduction describing the experiment performed and any relevant background material.
• II. A materials and methods section describing the experimental details.
• III. A results and discussion section presenting the data and its interpretation.
• IV. A brief conclusion presenting a summary of what was done and any suggestions for followup work which might be usefully performed.
• V. A bibliography giving references to background material, analytical methods used, etc.

Plagiarism is a serious matter in science. Proper acknowledgements of others work is imperative. This includes published work as well as the work performed by your class-mates. The material described in your lab books and your formal reports must be your own.

The following is a list of available labs in 6 groups. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the lab. Please indicate update this sheet regularly indicating which experiment you wish to do next so that Dave Urbshas can have the equipment ready when needed.

The following is a list of available labs in 6 groups. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the lab. Please update this sheet regularly indicating which experiment you wish to do next so that Tom Kehn can have the equipment ready when needed.

Classical Mechanics:

• Gyroscopic Motion

Modern Physics:

• Electron Spin Resonance (currently not operating)

Nuclear Physics:

• Gamma Ray Spectroscopy Using a NaI(T) Detector (2 separate setups)
• High Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy (for Advanced Laboratory)
• X-ray Fluorescence: Moseley’s Law (for Advanced Laboratory)
• The Speed of Photons: Galileo’s Technique Modernized
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (for Advanced Laboratory)

Solid State Physics:

• Thermoelectric Power (The Seebeck Effect)
• Semiconductor Band-Gap Measurements (currently not operating)
• X-ray Diffraction (for Advanced Laboratory)
• Superconductivity of Sn (Done in groups of six, can only be performed when liquid helium is available, check with the instructor/TA for the availability of this experiment)
• X-Ray absorption studies at the Canadian Light Source (for Advanced Laboratory; scheduled by the Professor)

Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics:

• The Ratio of the Specific Heat of Gases plus Measurement of the Specific Heat Capacity of Air
• Thermal Conductivity and Thermal Expansion

Waves and Optics:

• The Velocity of Sound: The Debye-Sears Experiment
• The Transmission Line
• Visable Light Diffraction (for Intermediate Laboratory, 3 separate setups)

Laboratory Procedures

• Absolutely NO food or drink is permitted in the laboratory!
• To comply with the University Laboratory Safety Regulations, experiments are to be performed during the scheduled laboratory hours. The laboratory will be available for approved students from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and until 5:30 p.m. on scheduled lab days. The “approved” list will be posted on the lab doors.
• Fire regulations require that doors linking MacN 417 to MacN 416 and MacN 422 remain closed.
• Work on a given experiment often extends over several laboratory sessions. You must have a card marked Experiment in Progress or the experiment will be reset for the next user. A supply of cards will be available in the lab – take one for your use throughout the semester.
• Radioactive sources are locked in a lead-lined box in MacN 416. The instructor or TA will unlock this box upon request during laboratory hours. The box must be locked at all other times. Should you require a source for an overnight run, your experiment must be posted with a radioactive warning sign provided in the box.
  Under no circumstance should a student begin an experiment requiring radioactive sources without first consulting with the TA or course instructor.