PHYS 3650: Modern Physics Lab S17
General Information
Office E-mail
Instructor: R. Michalak, 215 PS
GA’s: Jordan Turner PS 233
Office hours(RM): PS215, T 9-12, F 3-4
First Three Weeks: lecture 1-4 in PS 234
When labs start: each experiment consists of two (short reports, lab 1-4) or three lab days (full reports, lab 5-8) - Lab 1-4pm in PS233
Minimally supervised lab sessions to improve data by appointment.
Text: Melissinos ‘Experiments in Modern Physics’
Additional texts (recommended not required):
Taylor ‘Error Theory’
Born ‘Atomic Physics’ or Taylor ‘Modern Physics’ – your old texts from Phys 2320
Webpage: You will find course related information on my website www.physics.uwyo.edu/~rudim
Course Content:
This course is an introduction to experimentation techniques and experiments in modern physics. We learn about proper techniques for report writing, data analysis, literature research, and measuring techniques including functional principles of measurement instrumentation.
We study a variety of landmark experiments, learn about electronics and experimental techniques as well as data analysis, and pursue mastery in a subset of experiments that will be analyzed to a deeper level. During the initial block lectures, writing the laboratory report will be introduced chapter by chapter, and it will be practised chapter by chapter in the short reports.
The available lab sets include: Chaos, Millikan, Thomson e/m,
Franck-Hertz, Photoelectric Effect, gamma radiation, alpha/beta radiation, blackbody radiation, Bragg diffraction,
Michelson interferometry,
speed of light and light polarization,
gravitational and Coulomb constant.
Each student will perform eight of these twelve labs, four in depth, and will deal with a ninth lab in the final exam.
This course has been modified to fulfil USP2015-COM3. In a degree analysis it counts automatically as a WC under USP2003. The course meets all seven of the following Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Use the discourse of a discipline or interdisciplinary field to communicate that field’s subject matter to academic or professional audiences through written, oral, and digital communication.
- four short reports with draft deadlines
- four full reports at professional standard level
- eight 20 minute oral prelabs, five inlabs
- seminar style 20 minute oral/poster presentation at beginning of term about equipment
- IT: exploring Origin data analysis packet, Windat and Chaos experiment PC control software
2. Find, analyze, evaluate, and document information appropriately as applicable to the discipline, interdisciplinary field, or professional setting as demonstrated by completing a substantial communication project that requires appropriate research skills.
- each report’s and one short report’s introduction section requires extensive literature research; rules for citing, quoting trained in special 3 hour lecture (see below).
3. Recognize and evaluate more advanced aspects of communication that respond to the purposes and needs of audiences in a discipline, interdisciplinary field, or professional setting.
- special three hour lab report lecture defines audience of reports and sets rules how to address audience appropriately
- seminar style report & poster on equipment trains different audience specific presentation rules and skills
4. Make effective use of multiple drafts, revision, computer technology, peer and instructor comments, and collaboration to show understanding of communication standards in a discipline or interdisciplinary field.
- four draft reports use drafts deadlines, explicit specific feedback and re-submission deadlines
- data fitting individualized on Origin software package where students have to develop their own fit routines
( e.g. nuclear experiment – three to four Gaussian peaks with different heights, positions, and widths overlap with 1/f background noise and continuous Compton spectrum), two one hour training lectures
5. Observe the accepted conventions of spelling, grammar, organizational structure, punctuation, delivery and documentation expected in disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or professional contexts.
- three hour interactive lecture on report writing with real time exercises and commented example reports and three hour lecture on citation, quotation, and plagiarism awareness with exercises
6. Deliver presentations in a confident and professional manner, consistent with the standards of the discipline or interdisciplinary field.
- eight ~ 20’ oral prelabs and five ~ 10’ inlabs, an oral midterm prepare and train the student for the 1 ½ hour final oral exam
7. Interact effectively with audience members, engage opposing viewpoints constructively, and demonstrate active listening skills.
- equipment seminar has question and answer section; student topics overlap to guarantee all students have something to contribute and question during discussion.
- pre-labs are interactive discussions (see below)
All of the following information is tentative and I reserve the right to change any of it as seems necessary to keep the class average on course. Such changes will be announced in class.
Lecture During the first three weeks three hour long lecture blocks will be given on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These block lectures introduce:
(1) Course intro syllabus and remarks about measurements
(2) Data distributions I (Taylor 3-6)
(3) Data distributions II (Taylor 8-12)
(4) Lab Report instruction
(5) Lab Report continued; Citing, Quoting, and Plagiarism
(6) Equipment seminar
All block lectures are interactive and provide opportunities to earn standards (see below).
In week four to seven the first hour of each lab day is reserved for lecture. A tentative list:
(1) Millikan, e/m
(2) Photoelectric Effect, Franck-Hertz
(3) Michelson Interferometer, speed of light/polarization
(4) ab, g
(5) Bragg diffraction, Blackbody Radiation
(6) Chaos, gravitational constant
(7) Origin data processing, introduction
(8) Origin data fitting, interactive
Note that this amounts to 26 lecture hours, whereas a purely lecture based course comprises of 42 lectures.
Laboratory Eight complex modern physics experiments with two to three lab days each. On day one, time is set aside for your understanding of the experimental setup and trouble-shooting, including the identification and minimizing of systematic errors and deciding on necessary number of repetitions for data statistics and the researching of accepted values.
Students receive a detailed hand-out for the experiment they will perform in the following week. Each lab day begins with questions about the theoretical and experimental background during the first 20 minutes of the two times three hour lab (‘prelab’), during which each student answers a set of related questions, which earn the student standard grades. Up to four students will be interviewed in one-on-one situations on each of the three lab days. The sequence of whose turn it is first is random.
Students are encouraged to come to office hours before lab time and address questions they have about the lab instructions and theoretical background of an experiment.
Participation in all laboratory sessions is mandatory for the successful completion of this course. Excused absence requires a valid doctor’s note or university excuse. In that case, an appointment is made for a makeup session. Each student absence, late arrival, or early departure without instructor (not TA) approval results in grade penalties.
Each student works individually and writes his or her own lab report. Students are responsible for making sure the data they take are meaningful and complete. If equipment is broken or missing the student informs the TA as soon as possible and an alternative for the assignment is worked out. Missing, statistically meaningless, or wrong data will lead to lower lab grades.
Safety advice is given at the beginning of the first lab and students sign a consent form, which also proves that the students have been instructed about lab related dangers and have been instructed how to proceed in the event of an accident.
Lab reports and homework have to be handed in according to the schedule and will be handed back at the beginning of the next but one lab day or as soon as possible (delays can be expected when the instructor has exam weeks in his other classes). Expectations for reports will be further specified in lecture. Each student hands in his or her own report and multiple copies of almost identical reports will not be accepted. Simply paraphrasing sources counts as plagiarism (see special lecture).
In finals week each student has a 1 ½ hour oral and practical exam. The schedule will be discussed after midterm.
Grades
Labs with short reports: 4 20%
Labs with full reports: 4 30%
Midterm : 1 10%
Final exam lab: 1 20%
Standards: in 4 categories 20%
The standard grading rules:
• There are three levels of standards one can achieve: Basic, Advanced, and Proficiency
• The levels are related to learning outcomes according to Bloom’s Taxonomy (see appendix).
Basic Standard = Bloom 1/2 - Memorization
Advanced Standard = Bloom 3 - Understanding and Application
Proficiency Standard = Bloom 4 - Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation
To obtain the grade for standards you will need to accomplish certain landmarks in four categories. Some of these can be assessed during lab (in prelab or inlab), midterm or final exam, others in lecture and seminar, and finally in report writing.
The four categories are called: experiment, report, oral & theory, COM3. In order to fulfil a standard (at any of the three levels) in any category you need to fulfil the standard in each categories sub-categories first. You will get access to our master chart for standards that allow you to trace your progress and current standing. A colour coding informs you about standards earned per sub-category in the most recent assignments.
Here are the sub-categories for each category:
• experiment: basic lab skills and safety skills, mastery of advanced apparatus, software packages and data decision making, random error, systematic error, experiment modification/adaptation
6 sub-categories
• report: spellcheck and metrics, paragraph design, chapter design and integration, report chapter content (including lab book), bibliography and research, deadlines
6 sub-categories
• oral & theory: preparation, audience, confidence and delivery, math, theory, data fitting theory
6 sub-categories
• COM3: drafts, IT usage, use of jargon, peer group, professional standards
6 sub-categories
Some of the sub-categories are self-explaining, on others we will comment further as we reach the assessment stage.
Before you reach a higher level standard you have to fulfil the respective lower level standards in each sub-category. If you fail a standard sub-category you can retake it as often as there is time for, but not the same day. Some standards you will fill implicitly and we will inform you at the end of the day about it when we update the standard sheet for the day or when a lab report is returned. We will also explain on certain occasions why you may have not passed a standard. The lab TA can award basic and advanced standards. Proficiency standards are only awarded by the instructor. As term progresses students may want to be proactive, for example, they can state at the beginning of a prelab ‘I am going for a standard in systematic error and data fitting’.
How awarded standards are converted into standard grades:
In order to get any grade from standards you need to accumulate enough sub-category standards to fulfil the standard for the whole category. You will have to go through the whole procedure again to reach an advanced standard, only this time at the advanced Bloom’s level; and then again for the proficiency level. In order to get the category basic standard you will need to achieve a basic standard in each sub-category. In order to get the advanced or proficient standards in a category, you need an advanced/proficient in all but one sub-category.
Based on these achieved category standards, I will determine your per cent grade for the 25% of the course grade which are standard based. A proficiency standard category counts 6.25% toward the overall standard grade, an advanced standard category counts 5.00%, and a basic standard category counts 3.5%.
For example, 1 proficient, 2 advanced, and 1 basic standard in the four categories
will earn you 19.75 or 79% of the total available 25% toward the final grade – a B- grade in standards.
Another example: 1 advanced, 2 basic and 1 unachieved category standard
will earn you 12 = 48 % of the 25% toward the final grade – a D grade in standards.
A few more examples to familiarize you with what you want to strive for:
4 proficiency 25 100 % A rescale acc to below
2 proficiency, 2 advanced 22.5 90 % A-
4 advanced 20 80 % B
3 proficient, 1 unachieved 18.75 75 % B-
2 advanced, 2 basic 17 68 % C+
4 basic 14 57.1% C-
2 advanced, 2 unachieved 10 40 % F
2 basic, 2 unachieved 7 28 % F
4 unachieved 0 0 % F
From this list you can see that I want you to strive for breadth in achieving standard levels in categories. This reflects the goals of the COM3 USP.
Course Scale:
A > 92.5% GPA 4.0
A- > 87.5% 3.67
B+ > 82.5% 3.33
B > 77.5% 3.0
B- > 72.5% 2.67
C+ > 67.5% 2.33
C > 62.5% 2.0
C- > 57.5% 1.67
D+ > 52.5% 1.33
D > 47.5% 1.0
F <= 47.5% 0 There will be no curve to the final grade.
Grading rubric for full and draft reports:
draft
Relevant chapter 35%
Report Results chapter 25%
Labbook 10%
Category E 20%
Category W 10%
full
Report intro / 15%Report exp detail / 15%
Report Results/Discussion / 15%
Report Conclusion / 5%
Report Labbook (data) / 5%
category Q / 10%
category E / 10%
category W / 10%
category * / 10%
miscellaneous (good use of draft, timely submission)
5%
total / 100%
category E / error progression
error statistic, use of error bar
data distribution and fitting
category W / maturity of writing
analysis and synthesis
integration of experiments in common perspective
labbook editing by rules
category Q / citations, bibliography
quotations
audience level
category * / data quality
data quantity
method independent repetition
report intro / motivation why, how does expt fit bigger course picture
order consistent with use in results
relation to current level of knowledge
model and approximation limits addressed
from general to specific
report expt details / apparatus, functioning and setup
parts which limit range
anticipated systematic errors
all parameters relevant for reproducibility
report results / summary of main data
clear line of thought / logical sequence of expt: why, how, what
important sources of error, how corrected or minimized
use of handbook of physics to evaluate results
report conclusion / results meaning in bigger picture
non-trivial suggestions how to improve
report labbook / raw data with relevant observations
no erasing/ making unreadable (APS standard)
completeness
tidiness
organization
explanations and grading symbols
grading symbols / #1 / evidence lacking / $1 / some confusion b/w what is a major and whata minor point
#2 / reason not fully appropriate / $2 / wordiness
#3 / vague reasoning / $3 / minor point missing
#4 / insufficient reasoning / $4 / somewhat incomplete
#5 / inappropriate reasoning / $5 / majorly incomplete
#6 / pov deficient / $6 / no distinction b/w important and unimportant
#7 / no pov / $7 / no concept of what is necessary
#8 / wordiness
&1 / some lack of focus / *1
&2 / lack of organization / *2
&3 / problem with progression of ideas / *3
&4 / incoherent / *4
&5 / disorganized to a degree where understanding your point is affected
&6 / expression off
&7 jargon wrong
&8 abrupt
&9 quotation unspecific or trivial
&10 personal voice
~1 / problem with diagram axis / ~8
~2 / problem with vector / ~9
~3 / tidiness figure/sketch / ~10
~4 / figure poorly related to problem / ~11
~5 / no figure, eqn, example where necessary / ~12
~6 / no derivation/ re-arrangement of textbook eqn demonstrated / ~666
~7 / wrong result in calculation
~8 grammar causes misunderstanding