You can contact your instructors by sending messages via the Canvas mail tool. In case you are not able to access Canvas you may send emails to our individual ufl addresses, however, only messages originating from your GatorLink addresses will be replied to. Please cc all instructors on your emails.
Other material such as the syllabus, announcements, calendar, and experimental rotation schedule will be posted on the course’s Canvas website. Assignments and lab reports will be submitted and returned through Canvas. The web site for the course is accessed through UF e-Learning or directly at: https://ufl.instructure.com/courses/436037.
Background: It is expected that students are familiar with various aspects of modern physics and are comfortable with diagnosing and debugging simple experimental problems.
A $7 materials and supplies fee is for consumables such as chemicals, glassware, and printing supplies. A $90 equipment use fee is for replacing whole experiments or a component such as a meter or data-acquisition computer.
This course will provide an introduction to the techniques found in various disciplines of modern experimental physics. We will see how an experimental concept is designed to measure a physical parameter (e.g. the lifetime of a muon) and how that concept is realized in terms of hardware and electronics. We will also learn about a variety of data and statistical analysis methods that are used to extract the desired physical parameters from the raw measurements.
Each semester we join together to form a unique and diverse learning community. This community is enriched by our own unique backgrounds, identities, experiences, challenges, and opportunities for personal growth. The instructional team recognizes the value in diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of this course. This includes, but is not limited to differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion and disability.
Physics, like all human endeavors, is something that is learned. Our aim is to foster an atmosphere of learning that is based on inclusion, transparency and respect for all participants. We acknowledge the different needs and perspectives we bring to our common learning space and strive to provide everyone with equal access. All students meeting the course prerequisites belong here and are well positioned for success. Please join us in continuing the work to create learning spaces that are safe for all to participate equitably. Provide room for concerns to be voiced, which takes courage and should receive the acknowledgment and empathy they rightly deserve. We are united by a common goal: to learn physics by demonstrating the course outcomes AND to assist this attainment by others in the course, through actions consistent with UF's core values and the student code of conduct.
Course Schedule
The detailed course schedule, including the rotation periods and assignment due dates is available at this page: Course Schedule.
For each experiment you perform in this laboratory course you will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the underlying physics, the experimental apparatus, the measurement techniques, and the data analysis. You should reach a level of mastery sufficient to suggest and explore such experimental refinements as improving the quality or quantity of the data, expanding the analysis, or widening the scope of the measurements beyond what is suggested in the handouts.
During your time in and out of the lab, you will:
Learn new physics regarding the systems explored in the experiments.
Use modern instrumentation and data acquisition computers to collect data on those systems.
Learn about measurement uncertainty and systematic error and use statistical analysis procedures to determine experimental parameters and their uncertainties.
Learn how to keep a lab notebook and how to communicate experimental results in a variety of formats.
Learn the various concepts involved in designing a physics experiment.
Work will be performed in pairs with experimental rotations determined at the beginning of the semester. Each student will perform a total of 4 experiments, each 3 weeks (6 sessions) in duration. You may choose from the fifteen available experiments which are classified into four groups: (1) Particle/Nuclear Physics, (2) Condensed Matter Physics, (3) Spectroscopy, (4) Optical Scattering and (5) Other Topics. Students will be able to submit a list of their preferred experiments to perform, however the final experimental rotations will be chosen such that students will not perform more than one experiment from each group.
Expectations for Collaborative Work
Students will have opportunities to work together in this course. We promote respectful student collaborations and encourage valuing the contributions of all teammates. It takes the participation and efforts of all to ensure this community is inclusive of everyone, regardless of our differences. Please remain respectful when there is disagreement between you and someone else.
It is important to get up to speed quickly on each experiment. The first day of an experimental rotation should be spent working with the apparatus and getting a start on the experimental procedures and not reading the lab manual for the first time. To prepare for an experiment and complete the exercises on time, be sure to download and read the experiment's lab manual at least one full week (two sessions) ahead. Read it and attempt out the exercises before the first day that you will be working with the new experiment.
This preparatory activity will overlap with the final week of the "previous" experiment, however, it is expected that by that point most of the data acquisition and analysis has been completed and your effort is primarily focused on the writing the report.
The overall course load has been designed to be roughly constant throughout a semester, i.e. as the workload from one experiments beings to decrease towards the end of a rotation the work load for the subsequent experiment will start to rise.
The following table summarizes the breakdown of points which will be used to determine the course grade. The individual lab reports and presentations carry the same weight.
The course grades are not curved (i.e. your letter grade only depends on your total score). Your letter grade for the course will be determined as follows:
Letter Grade
Total Points
A
≥85
A-
80
B+
75
B
70
B-
65
C+
60
C
55
C-
50
D+
45
D
40
D-
35
E
<35
The advantage of the fixed scale is that you are not competing with other students to “get ahead of the curve”. Everyone who works hard can do well in the class, and to the extent that it helps you learn, we encourage collaboration.
For further information on UF's Grading Policy, see:
Please refer to the Course Schedule for a schedule of assignments and due dates. All assignments must be submitted via Canvas by 8:30 am on the day they are due. Assignments turned in late will be given only partial credit. The partial credit factor will decrease by 10% every 24 hrs that the assignment is late. Assignments that are more than a week late will not be accepted and will be assigned a score of zero.
Since this is a laboratory course, regular attendance is essential to setting up the experiments, acquiring the data, and analyzing it. Attendance will be used in determining your overall course grade as described below.
Students are generally only allowed access to the laboratory equipment and computers during the regular course hours. It is very important that you attend at these times and that you use your time with the equipment efficiently. Attendance will be recorded via the Canvas attendance tool. Attendance will affect performance in two ways, via pass/fail on individual experiments and through an attendance factor.
Attendance Factor
The experimental rotations are designed to take the full allotted six sessions to properly be performed. Consequently, a pattern of late arrivals, early departures, and being absent from the apparatus for extended time during the course sessions will be noted and will affect the attendance score portion of the overall grade.
Failing an Experiment
Each rotation consists of six 3-hour sessions. Unexcused absence from three or more sessions automatically leads to failing a rotation: no points will be assigned in any category for this experiment. Failing two or more rotations automatically leads to failing the class.
Missed Sessions
Any student who anticipates missing an experimental session due to an exam conflict or any other foreseeable reason that is approved under UF attendance policies should inform the instructors (via Canvas) in advance.In the case of an unforeseeable absence, i.e. due to a medical excuses or family emergencies, please contact the instructor as soon as possible, normally within 24 hours after the missed session. In those cases an appropriate and equivalent means of making up the missed work will be provided.
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, the seasonal flu, or other health condition that would affect your ability to work in a laboratory setting we recommend you err on the side of caution and avoid coming in to class. We will arrange for an appropriate and equivalent means of making up the missed work.
Students are expected to follow proper hygienic procedures to minimize the possibility of infection by or transmission of COVID-19. These include wiping down all frequently touched surfaces (equipment and flat surfaces) after each session.
To minimize your exposure to possible COVID infection, please follow CDC recommendations at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/open-america/infection-control.htmlLinks to an external site.. Please bring your own cloth masks to class, which should be worn whenever appropriate social distancing cannot be maintained. Wearing a mask is optional when working alone in a room with closed doors. To protect yourself, please wipe down all surfaces you need to touch with disinfecting wipes and to protect others, please wipe them down when you are finished. Sinks are available in most of the lab rooms with disinfectant hand wash to use anytime.
Well before the due date of the first report, we ask you to submit a dummy report. We do this so that you know that the LaTeX installation you are using can do the job. Instructions are detailed in the LaTeX HW assignment.
All assignments should be submitted individually at the beginning of the scheduled class (e.g. 8:30 am, through Canvas). The homework question for each rotation, labelled as Exercises, are embedded in each experiment's the lab manual. Although the due date for each rotation's homework set is on the 1st session of the rotation you are strongly encouraged to work on them as early as possible. The late submission policy also applies to statistical homework, LaTeX assignment, and rotation homework.
Read Writing Scientific Reports Using LaTeXLinks to an external site. for additional information on writing lab reports. Whereas the notebook is written chronologically and is a complete record of what occurred in the lab, the report components can be placed in a more reader-friendly order and can be more selective in content. Also keep in mind, many of the notebook guidelines apply to the report as well.
The reports are limited to four pages including references, but excluding the comprehension questions and appendices. This limit will force you to make some judgment calls about what should be included and what has to left out. Any material beyond four pages will not be graded.
The report should be written in the the style of a scientific publication and should show that you understand the physical system under study, the apparatus, and the experimental results. The sections listed below should be included. The points associated with each section are a rough guideline and not binding.
Abstract: (10%) The abstract should briefly summarize the motivation, the method and most importantly, the quantitative results with errors. Based on those, a conclusion may be drawn.
Introduction and Theory: (15%) This section should succinctly report the motivation, purpose and relevant background to the experiment. It should define all the major variables involved and provide equations and assumptions.
Apparatus and Experiment: (15%) This section should provide schematics of the apparatus and discuss how the raw data are generated. It should also include an assessment of their random and systematic errors.
Analysis and Results: (30%) This section should explain the data analysis and how it leads to the results, including random uncertainties and possible systematic effects.
Conclusions: (5%) Summarize and discuss the findings of the experiment including quantitative comparisons between your results and theoretical expectations or other experimental values. Suggestions for experimental improvements and possible future
studies are also appropriate here.
References cited: (5%) Cite the source any time and every time you use an idea or a fact that you obtained from that source. The lab manual can be one of these but there must be at least one other from the scientific literature. Use the style used in the LaTeX assignment.
Comprehension questions: (20%) Discuss and answer all comprehension questions raised in the lab manual. You may, if you deem it appropriate, include some of the discussion in the main body of the report (i.e. in the Analysis section for example) as long as that does not cause the length t exceed the allotted 4 pages. Any comprehension question NOT specifically addressed in the main body of the report should be addressed in this section. (This section does not count against the four-page limit.)
Appendices: Here you may include any additional information and/or figures that do not fit into the main body of the report. It should not be necessary to read this section in order to understand the results and conclusions presented in the body of the paper. (The appendices do not count against the four-page limit.)
You are permitted to use diagrams and images on the lab website and in the lab writeups/manuals. However, it is highly preferred that you create/photograph/sketch your own.
For the final rotation, you will deliver a conference-style oral presentation of your work. In order to keep all of the talks within the time allotted for our lab meeting, strict time constraints will be enforced. Each group has 20 minutes to present plus 5 minutes to answer questions from the faculty or other students.
You should utilize visual slides that help to present your results and organize the flow of your presentation. Each set of slides should be in the form a single PDF file. This PDF file should be uploaded to Canvas by 11:59 pm on the evening prior to the day of the presentations. This is necessary so that we can efficiently transition from one presentation to the next without delays. Other file formats, such as Powerpoint or Keynote are not acceptable.
We strongly recommend that you practice your talk several times before delivering your presentation in class. Given the short time allotted, you will need this practice in order to make sure that you can deliver all of the necessary information clearly and concisely. The breakdown of topics covered in your presentation should roughly follow the breakdown listed for the written reports, minus the abstract. "Appendix" slides at the end of your PDF file can be included that are not presented during the main body of your presentation, but may be shown in order to help answer questions from the audience.
The rules in the section on reports on the use of graphs and diagrams you did not prepare apply to the presentations as well.
In any scientific presentation it is important to tailor what you cover to the specific audience. For this presentation you need to provide enough background information that students that haven't performed your experiment can learn something. At the same time, you should provide enough detail that the instructors and other students that have performed your experiment can gauge your results and any technical issues you may have run into. Some useful (if technologically out-dated) information on scientific speaking can be found here: Advice on speakingLinks to an external site..
Safety: We have tried to minimize hazards but there are always possibilities for injury. Follow all safety procedures for handling lasers, X-ray machine, cryogens, radioactive materials, and high voltage sources.
Care: Take care of the equipment. Know how to use it. Do not make connections unless you understand what you're doing. Read the equipment manuals.
Courtesy: Keep your area clean. Return tools, equipment, etc. to their proper place. Do not remove equipment from other experiments! If you need a replacement part, see an instructor.
You should demonstrate preparation and progress during discussions, which will be conducted informally more or less every session. You should always be prepared to answer the following questions. What are you doing or about to do? Why are you doing it? What do you think will happen? Your ``personal performance'' grade will be based on this.
Do not wait until you are writing your report before you begin graphing and analyzing data. Mistakes are common in laboratory work and can often be discovered as the data come in by graphing and/or analysis. Graphs and analysis should be displayed in your lab notebook. If your data consists of a modest number of points, just draw appropriate axes in the notebook and mark the data points by hand. If there are are many points, import into excel or a plotting program, print the plot, and tape it to a notebook page.
Instructors will be looking specifically for this analysis during discussions and notebook inspections. In addition, a ``checkpoint'' has been included in each experimental writeup containing benchmarks that should be achieved by the end of the fourth session of an experiment. Evaluating data as it comes in and meeting the benchmarks on time
will be a significant part of your in-class performance score.
By the end of the sixth session, data acquisition and data analysis should be mostly complete, as should be your understanding of all aspects of the experiment. You may be individually interviewed during that period where you will be expected to show your data and analysis. The seventh session is to clean up any remaining details, work on the report and prepare for the next experiment.
Refer to the Laboratory Notebook GuidelinesLinks to an external site. for details on maintaining a laboratory notebook. Notebooks will be kept electronically using the OneNote class notebook on Canvas. These will be accessible to you in the lab (and anywhere with an internet connection). The notebooks will be readable by the instructors for the purposes of evaluating your progress in an experimental rotation.
Bring a flash drive to each lab session for storing your data and other files for an experiment. Use a separate directory for each experiment and sub-directories within it when appropriate. Do not assume your data will be on the lab data acquisition computer from one day to another. Back up your flash drive files to your personal computer after each session in case your flash drive is lost or damaged.
The UF Honor Code applies to all aspects of this course. It is required that you report any possible infractions to your instructor immediately.
Violations of the UF Honor Code, including any identified online homework related academic fraud, will be processed to the full extent of the Honor Code. For a code violation, the automatic minimum penalty we recommend to the Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution office will be a failing grade in the course. According to the Honor Code, a student who receives a course grade penalty is not permitted to withdraw from the course.
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied:
"On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."
Students requesting classroom accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Disability Resource Center (DRCLinks to an external site.). The DRC will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor (Dr. Saab) when requesting accommodation. You will need to fill out online ATR forms for exams and for quizzes. Accommodations are not retroactive, and do not carry over from previous semesters; therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester.
We will have face-to-face instructional sessions to accomplish the student learning objectives of this course. In response to COVID-19, the following policies and requirements are in place to maintain your learning environment and to enhance the safety of our in-classroom interactions.
You are required to wear approved face coverings at all times during class and within buildings. Following and enforcing these policies and requirements are all of our responsibility. Failure to do so will lead to a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
This course has been assigned a physical classroom with enough capacity to maintain physical distancing (6 feet between individuals) requirements. Please utilize designated seats and maintain appropriate spacing between students. Please do not move desks or stations.
Sanitizing supplies are available in the classroom if you wish to wipe down your desks prior to sitting down and at the end of the class.
Follow your instructor’s guidance on how to enter and exit the classroom. Practice physical distancing to the extent possible when entering and exiting the classroom.
Pursuant to the recently adopted Florida House Bill 233 Intellectual and Viewpoint Diversity Act
Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
Counseling and Wellness Center: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/Default.aspx, 392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.
Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS): Student Health Care Center, 392-1161.
University Police Department: 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies). http://www.police.ufl.edu/
Career Resource Center: Reitz Union, 392-1601. Career assistance and counseling. http://www.crc.ufl.edu/
The syllabus page shows a table-oriented view of the course schedule, and the basics of
course grading. You can add any other comments, notes, or thoughts you have about the course
structure, course policies or anything else.
To add some comments, click the "Edit" link at the top.
Course Summary:
Date
Details
Due
Tue Aug 31, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 1 HW
due by 8:30am
Calendar Event
PHY4803L: Spring 2021
9am
to
11am
Thu Sep 2, 2021
Assignment
Statistics HW 1
due by 8:30am
Calendar Event
PHY4803L: Spring 2021
9am
to
11am
Tue Sep 7, 2021
Assignment
Statistics HW 1
(1 student)
due by 11:59pm
Thu Sep 9, 2021
Assignment
LaTeX HW
due by 8:30am
Assignment
Rotation 1 Interim Report
due by 8:30am
Tue Sep 14, 2021
Assignment
Statistics HW 2
due by 8:30am
Tue Sep 21, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 HW
due by 8:30am
Wed Sep 22, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 HW
(1 student)
due by 8:30am
Wed Sep 29, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 1 Report
due by 8:30am
Assignment
Rotation 1 Report
(1 student)
due by 8pm
Thu Sep 30, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 Interim Report
due by 8:30am
Fri Oct 1, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 1 Report
(1 student)
due by 9am
Thu Oct 7, 2021
Assignment
Statistics HW 3
due by 8:30am
Thu Oct 14, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 3 HW
due by 8:30am
Fri Oct 22, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 Report
due by 8:30am
Sun Oct 24, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 Report
(3 students)
due by 8pm
Tue Oct 26, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 3 Interim Report
due by 8:30am
Thu Nov 4, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 2 Report
(1 student)
due by 8pm
Tue Nov 9, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 4 HW
due by 8:30am
Wed Nov 17, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 3 Report
due by 8:30am
Thu Nov 18, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 4 Interim Report
due by 8:30am
Fri Nov 19, 2021
Assignment
Rotation 3 Report
(1 student)
due by 8:30am
Mon Nov 22, 2021
Quiz
Best Experiment of the Semester
due by 11:59pm
Fri Dec 10, 2021
Calendar Event
University of Florida GatorEvals – Spring 2021