PHYS-120: Freshman Laboratory
SYLLABUS - Spring 2009
Instructor: 

Michael "Bodhi" Rogers
OFFICE: CNS 265                       PHONE: 274-3963
E-MAIL: mrogers@ithaca.edu    
WEB: http://departments.ithaca.edu/physics
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday 4:00pm-4:45pm, Wednesday 2pm-4pm, and by appointment.

Texts
 Spenser and Seligmann. Freshman Laboratory, Background Manual
Spenser and Seligmann. Freshman Laboratory, Laboratory Manual
Class

Laboratory

TUES: 02:35 pm - 03:50 pm, CNS 204
THUR 02:35 pm - 05:15 pm, CNS-204

Course Philosophy
 This course is about participating in a scientific endeavor from its start to its completion. You will begin by learning basic circuitry to allow you to build an experimental apparatus. You will then test this apparatus, make adjustments, and use this apparatus to conduct a final experiment. This course is about being a part of all aspects of an experiment.

Course Objectives
 (1) To acquaint you with experimental techniques and data analysis procedures.
(2) To show you how physical theory is applied to an experiment.
(3) To introduce you to electronic data acquisition techniques.
(4) To provide you with an introduction to digital electronics and computer interfacing.
(5) To introduce you to experimental error and graphing techniques.
(6) To introduce you to methods of communicating scientific information.
Course Policies
  • Students are required to attend all scheduled laboratory meetings. In the event of an excused absence, arrangements must be made with the laboratory instructor to make up the required work.
  • Each student must keep a loose leaf laboratory notebook in which all experimental work is documented. Instructor(s) will periodically ask to look at the notebook.
  • Plus and minus grades are given only rarely and only when justified by special circumstances.
  • There are no make-up exams, no early or late exams.
  • Your final grade is FINAL; no work may be handed in for additional credit after the final exam time period.
  • I do not hold office hours on the day of an exam.
  • The half hour before class is my time to prepare for class. I am usually busy during this time and it is hard for me to answer questions. Please take advantage of my open door policy, but try to avoid asking me involved questions the half hour before class.
  • Requests for regrading of exams must be in writing and must specify exactly why additional credit is warranted. No requests for changing an exam grade will be accepted more than 48 hours after an exam is returned.
  • Please familiarize yourself with the Ithaca College Student Code of Conduct; specifically the Standards of Academic Conduct (http://www.ithaca.edu/attorney/policies/vol7/Volume_7-70104.htm) I will hold you to these standards. I do not tolerate plagiarism.
  • Accommodations are gladly made for students with DOCUMENTED learning or physical disabilities.
  • Every student who is performing below a C will be asked to meet with the instructor to discuss their performance in an attempt to initiate a course of action that will increase performance to a C or better.
  • An incomplete grade is awarded only to allow missing work to be made up in cases of documented emergencies and only if all other work is satisfactory and only if advance arrangements have been made with the instructor about the work to be completed and the deadline for completing the missing work.
Homework 
 Tackling homework problems is an essential part of learning physics. This is when you get to practice quantitative problem solving. The class will determine when the homework will be due. Late homework will not be accepted. Homework solutions will be posted after the due date. Your 4 best homework scores out of 5 will be used in determining your final grade (i.e. I drop your lowest score)

Experiment Assignments  
 The linear accelerated motion and simple pendulum experiments have associated assignments that you will hand in at the end of lab when you finish your experiment.

Exams
 This course has midterm exam, a lab practical, and a final exam. These exams cannot be made up. You have been given early enough notice to accommodate them into your schedule.

Experimental Notebook  
 Every student needs to have an experimental notebook. I suggest you use a three-ring binder reserved specifically for this course. By using a three-ring binder you can include the laboratory and background manuals in your experimental notebook. The first page of your notebook needs to be a cover sheet containing your name, the course name, and the instructor's name. Your notebook will be graded for organization and completeness. Most of your work is contained within the pages of the laboratory manual, and these pages will be supplemented by inserting your graded homework solutions, exams, notes, and reports into the laboratory manual.

Formal Lab Report
 Most laboratory work concludes with the research being presented in written form. Common professional formats are journal articles and technical reports. As part of this course you will need to write a formal lab report to learn how to present scientific research in written form. You will first submit a complete draft of the final report, which will be graded and returned to you (this is similar to the peer-review process used by scientific journals.To help you manage the substantial work that goes into producing this report you will hand in sections of your draft over several weeks. You can use the comments on your draft to prepare a more complete final report. You will then receive a grade on your final report. The format of the Formal Lab Report will be handed out and discussed in class. .

Grading
Homework:  20 pts (5 pts each; your best 4 out of 5 count)
Experiment Assignments :  20 pts (10 pts each)
Lab Practical :  7 pts
Midterm:  7 Pts
Notebook :  7 pts
Complete draft of formal report :  20 pts
Formal report:  10 pts
Final Exam:  10 pts


Based on results from previous terms, it is expected that the final grade cut-offs will be approximately:
A : 90-100 B: 80-89 C: 70-79 D: 60-69 F: less than 59
Actual cut-offs this semester may be higher or lower than these.

Emergencies:  If at any point during the semester you have an emergency that interferes with your active participation in this course please let me know as soon as possible. If you let me know of problems before a due date I can often find a solution to satisfy both of us. Dealing with a problem after a due date is very difficult.



Pages written by Michael Rogers and updated on 16-January-2009 at the Ithaca College Physics Department in Ithaca, NY.