I. Instructor: Gregg Grist

Office: TH 328 E-mail: ggrist@stars.sfsu.edu

Office Hour: T, TBA Phone: 338-2775

Help Session: TBA

II. Materials Needed:

General Physics Lab Manual – (sold at bookstore)
Hardbound, cross-ruled lab notebook
Calculator
Ruler and glue stick
Payment of $4 lab fee. (Forms handed out in lab; pay at cashier’s office, get form stamped, and show me the receipt.)

III. Attendance:

You may miss one lab meeting without penalty, as your lowest lab grade will be dropped. You may also

miss an additional lab, as you have the opportunity to make up a lab at the end of the semester. This should be avoided if possible, as you will have to do the lab final and experiment in one lab period. Not suggested!

IV. Lab Notebooks:

Your lab notebooks are to be turned in each week, at the end of the lab. Your lab notebook should be an organized, legible, complete account of your lab work.

See “Keeping a lab book” handout for more information and examples.

FORMAT:

1.) Start each experiment on a new page; include the date, experiment title, and lab partners.

2.) Include any lab notes taken at the beginning of class in your notebook.

3.) Use a pen. DO NOT erase or scribble out any portions—cross them out neatly.

4.) When you're done, the question you should ask yourself: "If I read my lab book in one year, could I reproduce this experiment without the lab manual? Could my lab partner?"

5.) Include:

Purpose – What are you trying to accomplish with this lab? 1-3 sentences should suffice. Think "big picture", not "well-first-I-did-this-then-I-did-that" cookbook style.

Set-up – Brief description of important aspects of setup (don't recopy the lab manual), with labeled schematic diagram(s). A picture can be worth a thousand words.

Data – You should present your data very clearly. Always box all important results. Also, data tables (hand-drawn or Excel printout) are great. Always include units, and uncertainties if available.

Analysis – Clearly write down the formula first, before you use it. Show how you did any calculations you did. If it is a repetitive calculation, you only need to show an example. If you are having Excel compute formulas for you, write the formulas on the printout, or type them into the headers. Include graphs (hand-drawn or computer printout.) Don’t for get to label all graph elements. Keep things clear and concise.

Results/Conclusions: Briefly summarize your results. What do they tell you? How well did your results agree with the theoretical or expected result? If they did not agree, give some possible reasons why.

Result Sheet: Fill in the result sheet (from your lab manual), and paste it into your lab notebook. All important results asked for on the result sheet should also be in the body of the notebook.

V. Grades:

Lab notebooks: will be graded weekly, and be worth 75% of your final grade.
Lab Final Exam: will be given during the last lab meeting, and is worth 25% of your final grade.

You will be able to use your lab notebook during the final, so keeping a good lab notebook usually guarantees a good grade on the lab final.

Grading Scale: as normal; there is no curve. (A range = 90-100%; B range = 80-89%, etc)

Cheating and Plagiarism: The purpose of this lab course is for you to gain firsthand experience. If you are found to be cheating and/or plagiarizing you will receive no credit for the work in question and, if I deem appropriate, more drastic measures may be taken. Please refer to the University Bulletin for a clear discourse on this subject and the Universities policy, which will be followed.

VI. Learning Objectives:

Learn concepts in mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat, and waves from hands-on laboratory work. Become

familiar with graphical and calculational data analysis.

NOTE: In deference to your classmates and me, you must turn off all cell phones, beepers and other distracting devices before entering the lab. Remember no food, drinking, gum chewing or smoking in the lab.

Physical and mental SAFETY is a priority. One of the most important parts of learning is to have a safe and comfortable environment:

I know 3 hours is a long time to be in one place doing one thing. You may take a break at any time you feel necessary. It is at these times that food, smoking, and cell phones can be used outside of the lab.

Modified 05.02.2004