PHYS 2225, Physics for Scientists and Engineers II Laboratory

Spring 2023      Thursday;  1:30-4:20      GRSC 341 

Instructor:  Dr. Larry Smith        GRSC 311           283-7520          Larry.Smith@snow.edu               www.snow.edu/larrys       About Me     

Goals: The hands-on learning of physics is a lot of fun.  The goals are to help students further understand concepts from the lecture section, give students practice using equipment and making measurements, to help students learn to analyze data, and to improve the ability of the students to communicate scientific results clearly.

Text: PHYS 2225 Experiments lab packet.  Purchase the $10 voucher from the Snow College Bookstore and redeem it with the teacher.   info

Other Materials:  A scientific calculator.      Recommended: your own protractor and metric ruler.  Colored pencils or pens can occasionally be helpful.  Logger Pro is good to have on your laptop.   

Corequisites: Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 2220.

Labs: The labs are the main component of this course (PHYS 2225) and will give you hands-on experience to complement the book and the lecture (PHYS 2220) discussions. Physics is an experimental science and theories are no good if we don't test them against the physical world.

Lab Reports: Your data will obviously be the same as that of the other members of your lab group, but your analysis, synthesis, narrative, and conclusions should be your own (although you are encouraged to consult your group mates and others). Your lab report should be so clear that you could repeat the lab in three years using just your report as the guide. 

The write-ups/reports are generally due at the beginning (1:29) of the next lab period. This gives plenty of time to polish the report, although I do not expect dozens of hours of work after the lab period. Late labs are worth 50% up to one week late; thereafter they will receive no credit; no late labs will be accepted after April 20.

Help: You are encouraged to see me during my posted office hours and at other times by appointment.  

Policies: Follow the links to the Americans With Disabilities (ADA) and the FERPA policies.  Here are my policies regarding attendance and academic dishonesty.  Please read them all. When learning is the goal there is no incentive to cheat.

Participation:  Ask questions in lab, come to office hours, help other students.  Don’t just sit back and watch during the labs––actively participate.  Attend regularly; come prepared, having read the lab and associated resources on the  class website beforehand. Have a great time learning about the physical world.

COVID: Please get vaccinated and take normal safety precautions. If you have symptoms or are exposed, please don't come to lab. Let me know about your absence before lab time. You can either participate remotely via BBB and FaceTime / fb messenger / Skype, etc. from your group mates or there might be a makeup lab if you are really sick.

Quizzes:  Short frequent quizzes will ascertain whether you have studied the experiment before coming to lab, including the web site. 

Final Exam:  The final is Thursday, April 27, during the last lab class period in GRSC 341 (simultaneously with the last lab).

Grading:            Participation/Attitude  10%                 Quizzes           15%

                          Lab Write-Ups              60%                 Final Exam      15%