PHY 121 Lab Fall 2019
This is the organizational page for the Physics Introductory Labs portion of PHY 121 for Fall 2019.
| Instructors | Director of UG Laboratory | Teaching Assistants | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Lefferts | B. Nielsen |
|
The scope of the introductory labs is to give an understanding of basic experimental methods applied in physical sciences. The experiments performed during the lab sessions are closely related to the topics covered in the lecture.
You will perform each week an experiment as indicated in the Manuals and Course Schedule section. You have 1 hr 50 min time to perform each experiment, by yourself or with a lab partner. Each experiment will come with a manual that you can access below.
For each lab, your perfomance will be evaluated by your teaching assistant based on the following components:
- Pre-Lab Quiz (15 pts): Short set of questions (on Blackboard) about lab procedure and goals.
- Data table (10 pts): A reasonably-formatted copy of the data you took in lab (along with calculated quantities, as relevant).
- Analysis (60 pts): Varies, consists of the following components:
- Graphs (see the PHY121/122 Plotting Tool)
- Calculations, including uncertainty propagation (relevant work shown)
- Questions (listed in lab manuals; some selection will be chosen by your TA)
- Other: Some labs require other specific items, which will also belong to this section.
- Executive Summary (15 pts): A concise summary of all important results of the experiment.
The proposal will always be due on the same day that the lab is performed. All other components will generally be due in the subsequent lab class, with possible exceptions to be specified by your TA.
Reports are to be done individually (including data collection - you and your partner should independently record all data). Although collaboration is allowed, your work should be your own. Work that is duplicated between reports will be punished severely.
Your final score will be an average from your single lab grades scaled by a factor that will be determined at the end of the semester. This final score will be part of you mothercourse's grade weighted with 25%. You will receive a single final grade for PHY 121.
The first lab sessions will take place in the week starting from Monday, August 26.
- Lab 0 (August 26 - August 30): Introduction to Labs
- Lab 0 (September 03 - September 06): Introduction to Labs
- Lab 1 (September 09 - September 13): Pendulum (Data Sheet)
- Lab 2 (September 16 - September 20): Acceleration (Data Sheet)
- Lab 3 (September 23 - September 27): Projectile Motion (Data Sheet)
- Lab 4 (September 30 - October 04): Atwood Machine(Data Sheet)
- Lab 5 (October 16-17, 21-22): Centripetal Force (Data Sheet)
- Lab 6 (October 23-24, 28-29): Conservation of Energy (Data Sheet)
- Lab 7 (October 30-31, November 4-5): Conservation of Momentum (Data Sheet)
- Lab 8 (November 11 - November 14): Simple Harmonic Motion (Data Sheet)
- Lab 9 (November 18 - November 21): Standing Waves (Data Sheet)
- Lab 10 (December 02 - December 05): Buoyancy (Data Sheet)
December 09: Make-up Lab Day for Labs 7 - 10.
Here are some documents you will find helpful to reference that are common to all labs:
Guide to Uncertainty and Error Analysis
Introduction to Google Sheets (and Advanced Techniques in Google Sheets)
How to Use Google Sheets in This Class
Guide to Making and Using Plots
Here is a link to the plotting tool we will use to make our graphs in this class:
| Section | When | Where | Teaching Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHY121 L01 | Mo 1:00pm - 2:50pm | A-119 | TBA |
| PHY121 L02 | Mo 1:00pm - 2:50pm | A-121 | |
| PHY121 L03 | Mo 3:00pm - 4:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L04 | Mo 3:00pm - 4:50pm | A-121 | TBA |
| PHY121 L05 | Mo 5:00pm - 6:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L06 | Mo 5:00pm - 6:50pm | A-121 | TBA |
| PHY121 L07 | Tu 12:00- 1:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L08 | Tu 12:00- 1:50pm | A-121 | |
| PHY121 L09 | Tu 2:00pm- 3:50pm | A-121 | |
| PHY121 L10 | Tu 2:00pm- 3:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L11 | We 2:30pm - 4:20pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L12 | We 2:30pm - 4:20pm | A-121 | TBA |
| PHY121 L13 | We 4:30pm - 6:20pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L14 | We 4:30pm - 6:20pm | A-121 | TBA |
| PHY121 L15 | Th 1:00pm - 2:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L16 | Th 1:00pm - 2:50pm | A-121 | TBA |
| PHY121 L17 | Th 3:00pm - 4:50pm | A-119 | |
| PHY121 L18 | Th 3:00pm - 2:50pm | A-121 | TBA |
You are responsible for keeping track of deadlines for your lab reports. A list of deadlines (and return dates for work) is available here: Due Dates
Be alert to announcements about changes to this schedule from your TA or via Blackboard.
Any lab report submitted after the deadline will not be considered and receive zero points for the lab experiment.
Exceptions for partial credit may be granted by a TA or the course instructor, with suitably documented reasons.
If you need to be absent for a lab experiment you will have to provide written documentation for a significant reason to be absent, e.g., a medical note from your doctor or a written document about jury duty.
With such documentation, you will have the opportunity to make up the lab experiment in the dedicated make-up week. Under such circumstances, please submit a make-up request via the PHY121 Make-Up Request Form.
If you are absent for a non-excusable reason your lab grade for that particular experiment will be Zero (0) points! If you are absent for a non-excusable reason for more than one lab you will fail PHY 121.
There are three ways to ask questions or report problems:
- To contact your TA, use the e-mail addresses provided at the top of this page. This is the best option for lab-specific questions, such as checking requirements.
- To contact all TAs, use PHY121_lab@stonybrook.edu. This is the best option for general physics questions. If you cannot get in touch with your own TA and have a question on how to do a calculation (or why numbers look weird), this is also a reasonable place to contact.
- For administrative concerns, contact the course instructor, Richard Lefferts, at phy_introlabs@stonybrook.edu. This is the best option if you have a problem with your TA or something of that nature.