PHYSICS 128AL Summer 2013

Contact information:
Instructor: Wing Howard To, wto(AT)cern.ch, x3125, Broida 5124, homepage
TA: Bill Flaherty, flaherty(AT)physics.ucsb.edu
Lab Managers: Bob Pizzi, rpizzi(AT)physics.ucsb.edu x2553 and Dan Bridges, bridges(AT)physics.ucsb.edu x4072

Announcements!
Aug 27: Lab 4 Pick up: You can make up your lab notebooks and write up from Jean Dill after Friday in Broida 3rd Floor main office.
Aug 27: Complete grades are available via email. Email me your request and I will send it back to you Friday late afternoon.
Aug 27: All Notebooks/Writeups are due Weds Aug 28th. I'll be in my office Broida 5124 from 1-5PM on Wednesday. If I am away for some reason please slip it under the door. Nothing will be accepted after 5PM
Aug 19: Class Grade Frequency Plot Updated. : Plot
Aug 19: Don't forget that for lab 4, we want you come up with one piece of physics equipment you could purchase to improve the lab. Feel free to ask or email me if you want feedback on your idea. We also want to see citations and a bibliography on your last lab write-up. ~ Bill
Aug 12: Week 10 Lab Sign up Doodle
Aug 12: Free Elog Program Elog
Aug 9: Citation Format Chicago Manual of Style
Aug 9: Sample Pligarism Check My thesis Introduction
Aug 9: Cool plagiarism checker online and it's FREE! smallseotools
Aug 9: Requisition Form Requisition
Aug 7: Class Grade Frequency Plot made in ROOT, I also fitted this to a Gaussian Function and the mean = 0.81± 0.09, and σ = 0.31 ± 0.07 : Plot
July 24: Class Grade Frequency Plot: Plot
July 17: Sample Lab Write-up Posted: Mossbauer A decent write-up. Theory section could be included in the introduction. Error analysis is a bit lacking and should be done before the final results.
July 8: Lab Assignments Updated Lab Assignments
June 27: Sample Prelab presentation posted. Cloud Chamber Prelab
June 25: Histogram making for the Pendulum data in Mathematica. Pendulum Histogram
June 23: Histogram making example in Mathematica. Histogram Example
June 20: Lab Assignment Doodle is up. Each student must choose 4 labs. Doodle
June 20: Labs available! Interferometer, Laser Properties, Mossbauer, Muon, Cloud Chamber, Gamma Ray, HD Spectrum, Mass of the Electron, and Cavendish.
June 20: Lab Manuals: http://gabriel.physics.ucsb.edu/~phys128/
June 20: Monday and Tuesday only! Class will meet MT 1-6PM only since only 1 section is offered.

Course Structure
In Physics 128L, you will be working through a series of modern physics experiments---you'll have to understand the equipment you're given, figure out what procedures to follow and what data to collect, actually collect data, analyze the data, and present it in a scientific manner. The focus of the class is NOT pencil-and-paper physics; you will not be asked to prove or derive anything as an intellectual exercise. Rather, the focus is:

  1. General lab conduct and skills; how do you walk up to an unknown piece of equipment and make it do something useful? How do you get a table of numbers out of your notebook and into a publishable graph or figure?
  2. Understanding real-world data; what's the relationship between a "physics number" (an index of refraction, or the speed of light, or the mass of an electron), our error bar on such a number, and the procedure you're using to measure it? This is sometimes called "statistics", but actual statistics is only part of the story.
  3. General science-world conduct. You have to work with a partner, follow lab safety practices, keep an honest lab notebook, write concise and sensible reports, and give short slide presentations.
  4. Prelab presentations: Everyone will get a chance to make a 2-3 transparency presentation on:
    1. Physics background.
    2. Measurement technique of the lab.
    3. Equipment usage.
    4. Uncertainties of the lab.
    5. Safety Hazards of the lab.
The actual collection of experiments on offer can be found on the link below. You will do 4 of these.
http://gabriel.physics.ucsb.edu/~phys128/

Grading Scheme

  1. Prelab Presentation (15%): Prepare to give a 2-3 slides presentation on the lab with your lab partner. 2-3 groups will give the presentation each week, but all slides will be graded by group.
  2. Lab notebooks (60%): Your own independent lab notebook. Use an ink pen to keep a log of all lab activities, procedures, equipments used, observation, data, comments. Collected on the Monday after each lab cycle. Graded individually.
  3. Lab write-ups (25%): A short (3-5 pages) report on the lab. It should include an abstract, an introduction to the physics, a description of the equipments and procedures used to make the measurements, plots/tables of the data collected, analysis of the data with uncertainties taken into account, and a conclusion of your measurements. Did you accomplished the goal of the lab? Collected on the Monday after each lab cycle. Graded individually. Mossbauer sample MSWord Tex fig_1.ps fig_2.ps
  4. All prelab must be turned in after the prelab presentation at the start of lab.
  5. Notebooks and Writeups will be penalize in 10% of the grade per day until the end of the week. For example, a notebook will lose 24 out 60 points if it was turned on the Friday after the due date. Work later than Friday after the due date will not be accepted.

Course Materials

  1. A Carbonless Spiral Notebook with quad grid (Graph) paper available at the bookstore.
  2. Access to the lab manuals. The bookstore sells a bound copy, but the same information is available here.
  3. Access to Wolfram's Mathematica software. It is installed on all lab computers, many UCSB computer-cluster computers, and in the PSR. If you want a copy on a personal machine, you can buy a ($45) one-semester or ($74) one-year temporary license, or a ($140) regular copy, via http://store.wolfram.com/catalog/. There is no physics department or UCSB license with additional discounts.
  4. A USB Thrumb Drive.
  5. (Optional) An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements, by John Taylor.

Safety
There are important safety issues in any lab work, of which you must be aware. Some examples of safety hazards are intense light sources (lasers and gas discharge tubes), electrical hazards (high voltage or current), radiation sources (radioactive substances or X-ray machines), extreme temperatures. I require that you start each experiment by doing an assessment of the safety issues. You will need to take steps to carry out your experiments safely; this is part of acting like a professional experimentalist. For example:

  • Look for safety-related information in the lab manual.
  • Look for safety-related information in the equipment manuals.
  • Ask an instructor about anything that concerns you.
  • Include safety in the planning discussions with your lab partner.
  • Communicate clearly and unambiguously with your lab partner while working.
  • Outside Tools, Liquids, Chemicals are not allowed in the lab.
  • Eye projection is required when lasers are on in the lab.
  • Do not move any radiation detectors in the lab.


Important safety rules that everyone must follow are:

  • You must never work alone. There must always be at least two people in the room.
  • Never leave activated equipment unattended without approval from an instructor.
  • If any accident occurs, you must immediately report it to an instructor.

Course Schedule
Note the change from MTWR 1-6PM to MT 1-6PM

  1. Week 1: June 24/25, Introduction, Taking Measurments, Uncertainties, and Data Analysis (1-3:00PM)
  2. Week 2: July 1/2, Start Lab 1 (1-6PM)
  3. Week 3: July 8/9, Finish Lab 1 (1-6PM)
  4. Week 4: July 15/16, Start Lab 2 (1-6PM)
  5. Week 5: July 22/23, Finish Lab 2 (1-6PM)
  6. Week 6: July 29/30, Start Lab 3 (1-6PM)
  7. Week 7: Aug 5/6, Finish Lab 3 (1-6PM)
  8. Week 8: Aug 12/13, Start Lab 4 (1-6PM)
  9. Week 9: Aug 19/20, Finish Lab 4 (1-6PM)
  10. Week 10: Aug 26/27, Make up and redo week (1-4PM) All make up or late work final due date is Aug 28th. Nothing will be accepted pass Wednesday.