SYLLABUS

 

PHY 372                                                         Instructor:         Weidian Shen

Modern Physics Lab                                         Office:              313 Strong Hall

336 Strong Hall                                                Phone:              487-8797

Fall 2002                                                          Assistant:          Melissa Brucker

                                                                        Phone:              (734) 657-1436          

 

Prerequisites:             PHY 370

 

Text:                            None. But a reference manual will be provided.

 

Meeting Time:            11:00AM - 1:00PM Monday or 10:00AM - Noon Thursday.

 

                                    This semester we will carry out seven experiments.

 

                                    (1) Measurement of Speed of Light with Optical Fiber

                                    (2) Measurement of Light Wavelength with a Ruler

                                    (3) Hydrogen Spectrum

                                    (4) Photoelectric Effect

                                    (5) Thomson's e/m Experiment

                                    (6) Millikan's Oil-Drop Experiment

                                    (7) The Franck-Hertz Experiment

 

            You are given one week to finish Experiment (1), (2), (3) and (4), and are given two weeks to finish Experiment (5), (6) and (7).

 

            We have one set-up for each experiment.  Two of you will form a group.  You and your partner can pick either session, Monday or Thursday.  Different groups will carry out the seven experiments in different order, avoiding the conflict in using the set-up.  You will work alone with Experiment (1), (2), (3) and (4), and will work with your partner with Experiment (5), (6) and (7).  To make the arrangement, a sheet will be signed.  The Five formal lab reports, each covering one or two experiments, should be submitted on the following due days.

 

                        1st Report:                   September  30 or October 3

                        2nd Report:                  October 14 or 17

                        3rd Report:                   October 28 or 31

                        4th Report:                   November 11 or 14

                        5th Report:                   December 2 or 5

 

                        No late report will be accepted for credit.

 

Grading:         

 

            Each report will have 20 points.  Among the 20 points, 8 points will be given depending on your performance in the lab and 12 points will be given depending on your lab report and your result.

 

Performance Standard:

 

            (1) Pre-read the reference manual thoroughly, and make sure you clearly know the objective of the experiment, the apparatus that will be used in it, and the experimental procedure.  Write a brief outline showing how you will carry out the experiment step by step, bring it to the lab before the session starts, and let the instructor or teaching assistant check it before you start doing experiment.

            (2) Set up the apparatus correctly and make all the adjustments carefully.

            (3) Take data earnestly and patiently.

(4) After finishing the experiment, have your lab instructor or teaching assistant sign your data sheet, and clean the table and return all the apparatus to their original places.

            (5) Follow the instruction of instructor and teaching assistant.

 

            The lab report should be neat and legible, and consist of the following parts.

 

(1) Cover page.  It contains the title, name of author, name of your partner (if you work together), date the report is submitted and an abstract.  You should use 2-3 sentences to summarize what you did and your result/conclusion in the abstract.

            (2) Objective of the experiment.

(3) Theoretical background of the experiment, containing the equations used in your calculation and their derivation.

            (4) Apparatus used in the experiment.

            (5) Procedure.

            (6) Data.

            (7) Calculation and Result.

            (8) Discussion and Conclusion.

            (9) Attached your original data sheets with the report.

 

Grading Scale:            A: 93-100; A-: 90-92; B+: 87-89; B: 83-86; B-: 80-82; C+: 77-79

                                    C: 73-76; C-: 70-72; D+: 67-69; D: 63-66; D-: 60-62.

 

Office hour:           Dr. Weidian Shen:              1:30-2:30PM   MTWThF

                              Miss: Melissa Brucker:        9:00-10:00AM Th

                                                                        336 Strong Hall

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                              Appointments in the time other than the above can be made through individual arrangement.