Makeup Labs:
There are makeup lab sessions scheduled for June 3-5. Signup sheets are posted in the Lab. You enter your name, your section number, and the lab you wish to do. You can make up ONE lab by signing up. You can only make up two labs with permission from the Course Instructor, and then signing up.
When you go to a makeup lab, be sure the TA checks off your presence on the sign-up sheet, and be sure you know your regular section and TA name.
Welcome to Physics 122 Labs!
This second quarter of the Introductory Physics labs, a part of the Phys 122 class, is about HEAT, PRESSURE, ELECTROMAGNETISM and ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.
A very important aspect of experimental work is the idea of "uncertainty". We will focus on developing a familiarity with this basic concept so that it becomes second-nature to think about the uncertainty whenever you think about a measured quantity. But uncertainty is not the main point. The main point is to continue to see how physics works in the real world, and not just in books and problems.
There are labs Tuesday through Thursday. The last week of instruction will be used for make-up days. If you are current with labs you do not need to attend during that week. Note: there is no guarantee that equipment or space will be available. Avoid make-ups if you can!
Course Instructor
Instructor: Prof. R.G. Hamish Robertson
e-mail: (best way to get in touch with me) rghr@u.washington.edu
Office: Physics-Astronomy Building PAB B476
Phone: 206-616-2745
Course Website: http://faculty.washington.edu/rghr/course2.htm
Office Hours: Your TAs will arrange their own office hours. If you would like to see me, send me an e-mail and we can arrange a time in my office.
Lab Schedule
There are no labs the first week of the quarter. Labs begin Tuesday, April 8.
- March 31. No labs
- April 7. Buoyancy
- April 14. Ideal Gas Law
- April 21. Heat Capacity
- April 28. Electrostatics
- May 5. Electric Fields
- May 12. Electric Circuits I -- Current
- May 19. Electric Circuits II -- Voltage
- May 26. Capacitance and RC Circuits
- June 2. Makeup week
Holidays: Monday May 26.
A LIST with your SLN, Section name, Room number, and TA e-mail. A CHART shows which TA is assigned to which section. Both 118 and 122Z labs are listed in these tables.
If you want to change a lecture, tutorial, or lab section, check the online time schedule frequently to see if what you want has opened up.
Minor WRINKLE: Your registered lab section number is not the same as the section number used by Tycho. As long as you are not worried about that, it should not make any difference to you. Some quarters, but not this quarter, there are "A", "B", etc., sections for labs that actually meet at the same time and are one section. They are split this way to associate your lab and tutorial schedule with the appropriate lecture section.
Lab Manual and Report
A lab manual is used and must be brought to the lab starting the week of April 7. Lab manuals can be purchased at the University Book Store. They should be available by April 4, and cost about $12.
All labs can be completed, including the lab report, within the three hours scheduled. Lab reports are written, while performing the lab, directly into the lab manual.
At the conclusion of the assigned lab each week, you are required to submit your lab report for grading. Your TA will initial the report at places while you do the lab and at the end to verify its completion. Reports without initials will not be accepted. If you attend a lab section other than your assigned section, the report must be turned in to the TA for that section at the conclusion of the lab and the TA must initial the report. The TA will pass on your report to your regular TA, so be sure to fill out the necessary information at the top so that can happen.
The lab instruction sheets contain spaces in which the answers to questions preceding the spaces are to be written. These answers are to be written in complete sentences! "Yes" is not a complete sentence. A drawing or sketch is a very good idea to explain what you are doing. Your TA will be impressed if you make an effort to write clearly and neatly.
You must submit a separate lab write-up even though you will be working with one or two other students. Partners are expected to consult with one another and to try to agree upon the measurements and answers to any questions.
Uncertainties, Significant Figures, Units
Measurements should be made carefully and recorded with attention to the appropriate number of significant figures. For example, if a length slightly over 12 cm is measured to the nearest millimeter, the result should be written in the form 12.1 cm, a number with three significant figures.
The labs require an understanding of how well your measurements are made and thus a quantitative estimate of the uncertainties in your measurements. You will encounter uncertainties that can be described as random uncertainties (or errors) and others that are systematic uncertainties (or errors). Questions about uncertainty are popular choices on the mideterm and final exams.
You should also understand the difference between precision and accuracy. A precise result is one that has little random error, and, usually, many significant figures. An accurate result is one that is close to the truth. For example, by carefully repeating the measurement of the length of a string many times with a ruler, you can get a suprisingly precise result with little random error, but if your ruler is a cheap, low quality one, it will not be accurate! No amount of repetition will get rid of that systematic error (but there are ways to discover if the ruler is wrong; you could compare it with a different ruler.) You should make sure that the magnitude of your uncertainties is consistent with the precision of your equipment.
Grading
The lab is a component of the single, integrated 5-credit Phys 122 course that includes lecture, tutorial. homework and laboratory. Labs will be graded by your section TA.
The lab section grade will be based on scores for all 8 lab reports and will count for 15% of your 122 grade. Three of these will be graded on a simple 0 or 3 point scale, passing grade = 3. The other 5 labs will be graded on a 0 to 5 point scale. Students who complete fewer than 6 of the 8 labs will receive a grade of 0.0 for the entire 5-credit course.
Graded labs: Most labs will be scored on an integer 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 point scale. The TAs have instructions to aim at an average grade of about 3.5, not including the pass/fail labs that count for 3 each.
5 An exceptional lab report. Answers to all questions are accurate, precise and show unusually good understanding. There are good drawings, well-written text, extra observations. All measurements are made as accurately as the equipment allows. The measurements and their uncertainties are correctly calculated and are expressed with the correct number of significant digits.
4 A very good report. Nearly all questions are answered correctly in complete sentences. Measurements and their uncertainties are correct with the correct number of significant figures.
3 A good lab report. This score is given for a complete report but with some minor deficiencies in the answers to questions and/or in the measurements and their uncertainties. For example, your answers may be more or less correct but your explanations are vague or incomplete. A few measurements may be of lesser accuracy and a few measurement uncertainties are missing or incorrectly stated.
2 A fair lab report. Answers to several questions are not well stated or are not in complete sentences. Several measurements are inaccurate with incorrectly calculated uncertainties or have an inappropriate number of significant figures. Parts of the lab may not be completed.
1 A poor lab report. The score given when answers to questions and measurements are generally of poor quality as indicated by a significant number of omissions or mistakes in reasoning. Labs with a score of 1 can be redone and regraded for a score not to exceed 3. The grade will remain a 1 if the lab is not repeated. Labs cannot be repeated to improve on scores other than 1 or 0.
0 A very poor lab report. This is the score given for a report that is substantially incomplete. Labs scored 0 will not be counted toward the six required labs. They can be redone during the makeup period for a score not to exceed 3 per lab.
Important notice: Check your scores on TYCHO weekly. TAs are instructed to post lab scores before returning the reports. Lost reports and incorrectly entered scores are easier to correct if caught early.
Makeup Labs
You cannot go to any lab section other than your assigned one without permission of the TA of the lab you want to attend, or change of registration. When coming to a new section, be sure the TA knows your regular section. It is better to complete a lab the same week it is scheduled rather than in the makeup week because subsequent labs may build on it and the last week of classes tends to be very busy. However, if you can’t attend any of the labs during a given week, you may make up the missed lab during the last week of classes. Ordinarily, only one lab can be made up. Under special circumstances, a maximum of two labs can be made up with written permission of the lab course professor ( rghr@u.washington.edu). No more than one lab can be completed in a lab session.
Introductory Physics Courses Administrative Support
Administrative Web Site (Links to other 12x sites, exam statistics, TA contacts, etc.)
Program Assistant: Helen Gribble heleng@phys.washington.edu PAB C136 543-4982 ( If you need assistance with registration, have questions about grades or Lab and Tutorial policies.)
If you wish to talk with an academic counselor about becoming a physics major or minor, or have general questions about the physics program, please contact Margot Nims margot@phys.washington.edu , PAB C139 , 543-2772.
The 12x courses are under the administration of Professor Daryl Pedigo pedigo@phys.washington.edu PAB C138 543-4983.
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