Physics 275 Syllabus -
Spring 2019
Professors Hassan Jawahery
Sections: 0301 and 0401
Official Course Description: PHYS275
- Experimental Physics I: Mechanics and Heat
(2 credits) (PermReq) Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD.
Prerequisite: PHYS161 or PHYS171; and PHYS174. Additional information: CORE
Physical Science Lab (PL) Course only when taken concurrently with PHYS272. Methods
and rationale of experimental physics. Intended for physics majors and science
and engineering students who desire a more rigorous approach. Experiments
chosen from the areas of mechanics (from PHYS171), gas laws, and heats. Theory
and applications of error analysis.
What the course is about: Physics 275 is the
second course in the introductory Physics lab sequence PHYS 174-275-276. The
course is intended for physics majors and also for science and engineering
students who desire a more rigorous introduction to experimental science.
Experiments are mainly chosen in the general area of mechanics. A major
component of the course concerns understanding error analysis, both learning
how to do it and appreciating what a useful tool it is. The Lab meets for four
hours each week in Room 3104 of the John
Toll Physics Building. You should expect that roughly three hours of this time
will be spent working on the lab and one hour in discussion with your
instructors and other students during the lab.
To get the latest information on Physics 275, check ELMS
Canvas or:
https://umdphysics.umd.edu/academics/courses/962-physics-275-experimental-physics-i.html
Lab sections: All
classes meet in Room 3104 in the John Toll Physics Building
|
section |
Day |
Time |
Instructors |
Teaching Assistant |
|
0101 |
Wednesday |
2-5:50 PM |
Fred Wellstood |
|
|
0201 |
Monday |
2-5:50 PM |
Fred Wellstood |
|
|
0301 |
Tuesday |
2-5:50 PM |
Hassan Jawahery |
Joseph Mariano |
|
0401 |
Thursday |
2-5:50 PM |
Hassan Jawahery |
Joseph Mariano |
*Contact Information for Course Instructors:
Prof.
Hassan
Jawahery
3208G Physical Sciences Complex
301-405-6062
* Teaching Assistants e-mail office phone
Joseph Mariano jmariano@terpmail.umd.edu 0220 Toll
Physics Building 301-405-5969
* Office Hours: You
can try stopping by our offices at any time or make an appointment by e-mail.
* Prerequisites: The
prerequisites for the course are Physics 174 and Physics 171 (or Physics161).
* Co-requisites: You must also be enrolled in
Physics 272 in the same semester in order to get CORE lab science credit.
(1) "Laboratory Manual for Experimental Physics I:
Mechanics" – 7th Edition- January 2017. This Lab Manual and access to the Homework
Questions for PHYS275 are only available electronically from the online service
Expert TA. In order to purchase the lab manual from Expert TA, follow the steps
listed below in the section on Expert TA. If the University bookstore
incorrectly lists "no textbook
required" for the course, don’t be fooled - you need to purchase
electronic access to the lab manual and homework questions by going to Expert
TA. In order to buy the manual online you
will need the “class code” listed below corresponding to your particular
section of Phys 275.
(2) "A Practical Guide to Data Analysis for
Physical Science Students"
by Louis Lyons,
Cambridge University Press (1991).
Purchasing the Lab Manual from Expert TA and access to Homework:
1. Locate your section number in the table below and find the corresponding Expert TA link for the class code for your specific section.
2. Double-check that you have correctly identified your specific section.
3. Copy the correct link to your sections class code and paste it into your browser, then follow the instructions.
Lab sections:
|
section |
Day |
Time |
Expert TA link
for class code |
Instructors |
TA |
|
0101 |
Wednesday |
2-5:50 PM |
|
Fred Wellstood |
|
|
0201 |
Monday |
1-4:50 PM |
|
Fred Wellstood |
|
|
0501 |
Tuesday |
2-5:50 PM |
http://goeta.link/USH22MD- |
Hassan Jawahery |
Joseph Mariano |
|
0601 |
Thursday |
2-5:50 PM |
http://goeta.link/USH22MD- |
Hassan
Jawahery |
Joseph Mariano |
* Recommended
Texts:
(1) "An Introduction to Error Analysis",
Second Edition, J. R. Taylor, University Science Books (1997).
(2) “Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical
Sciences” by P. R. Bevington.
* Arriving late to class: Classes at Maryland begin right on the hour. It is important that you arrive on time so that you can get instructions for the lab and have time to finish. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you may not be allowed into the lab and will have to make it up during another section.
* Making Up Missed Labs:
You should make every effort not to miss your regularly scheduled lab. If you
miss your regular lab section, you should make that lab up by going to another
section that week or by scheduling a makeup lab with the TA before your next
lab.
* Grading: 40% Spreadsheet Lab Reports 20% First Practical Exam
10% Homework 20% Second Practical Exam
10% class seminar
You must complete all experiments to pass
the course. Missing one homework set will
cost one-half of a letter grade in your final grade. Final grades will be
computed based upon the above weightings. Standard grading will be followed (A
is 90-100, B is 80-90, etc.) unless
the class's distribution of scores is unusual, in which case a standard curve
will be used.
* Your Lab Report - Each week, before you leave the lab, you must
submit to ELMS Blackboard an Excel spreadsheet lab report of all the work you
completed so far. If you need to make revisions to this report, or finish some
parts, you must submit a revised report before the start of your next lab
session.
* Homework is assigned
on Expert TA. Typically
there is a homework assignment at the end of each Lab and it is due before the
start of your next lab session. To get credit for completing the homework, you
must log into your own area in Expert TA and submit your answers via Expert TA before the deadline.
* No credit will be given for late homework unless you are seriously ill and provide a written note from your physician.
* The
University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of
Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets
standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate
students. As a student, you are responsible
for upholding these standards for this course.
It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of
cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity
or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.
* General Comments on the Lab report and Homework:
Finishing
all the lab reports and homework sets is very important. If you can't
completely finish a lab and homework set, it is still important to turn in what
you do have. When you are working on your report or homework, feel free to
discuss with other students to try to figure out what is going on. However, do
not use these discussions as an excuse to copy someone else's report or
solution, or let someone else copy yours. That is cheating and is strictly
forbidden. It is also very self-defeating since a large part of your grade
(50%) will come from tests. The right way to proceed is first to work through
the report and arrive at a definite answer on your own. With this preparation,
you can then discuss intelligently with your colleagues and see if you have
missed something essential. Of course, you can always ask one of your
instructors.
In
some of the homework assignments, you will see that there are problems labeled
with an H. These are optional problems which are intended “For Hotshots Only”
and do not count towards your grade. If you like thinking about physics
problems, and are looking for something a bit more challenging, then go ahead
and try them - we made these problems just for you.
* In case of bad weather:
Winter in the Washington metro area can bring large snowstorms that make travel
difficult and dangerous. If the University is closed during a scheduled lab,
class will be cancelled, and we will most likely reschedule the lab for the
following week. Closing is announced over local radio and TV as well as on the University’s homepage.
* One final thing, if
you miss something fundamental in a lab or test, you may be assigned extra
problems to solve until you master the concept.
Physics 275 Preliminary Schedule
Spring 2019
(last updated Dec. 20, 2018)
Monday -Jan 28 First day of the Spring semester
Jan 28 - Jan 31 Experiment
1 - Introduction and Diagnostic
Feb 4 – Feb 7 Experiment 2 - Dice and Distributions
Feb 11 – Feb 14 Experiment 3 - Statistics of Radioactive Decay
Feb 18 – Feb 21 Experiment
4 - Position, Velocity and Acceleration
Feb 25 – Feb 28 Experiment 5 - Free Fall
Mar 4 - 7 Experiment
6 - First Review (Experiments 1-5)
Mar 11 - 14 Experiment
7 - First Practical Exam
Mar 18 - 21 Week
of Spring Break - No Labs
Mar 25 – 28 Make-up Labs
Apr 1 – Apr 4 Experiment
8 - Standing Waves
Apr 8 - Apr 11 Experiment
10 - Driven Harmonic Motion
Apr 15 - Apr 18 Experiment
12 - Measuring g with a Pendulum
Apr 22 - Apr 25 Experiment
13 - Second Review (Experiments 8,
10, 12)
Apr 29 - May 2 Experiment 14 - Second Practical Exam
May 6 - May 9 Make-up
Labs
Thursday May 14 Last Day
of classes for the semester
Friday May 15 Reading day
May 16 - May 22 Week of
Final Exams: No Labs
May
22 - May 24 Commencement