• Instructor: Prof. Paul Fulda
• Office: NPB 2364
• Email: Use Canvas email
• Class hours: Tue, Thursday, Periods 3—5 (8:30am—11:30 pm), NPB 1240
• Office hours: See availability times in the Instructors and Office hours page

• Instructor: Prof. James Hamlin
• Office: NPB 2263
• Email: Use Canvas email
• Class hours: Tue, Thursday, Periods 3—5 (8:30am—11:30 pm), NPB 1240
• Office hours: See availability times in the Instructors and Office hours page

• Instructor: Prof. Robert DeSerio
• Office: NPB 1236
• Email: Use Canvas email
• Class hours: Tue, Thursday, Periods 3—5 (8:30am—11:30 pm), NPB 1240
• Office hours: See availability times in the Instructors and Office hours page

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.

Most of the materials for this course, including experimental descriptions, and physical and statistical references will be posted on the course's website hosted at the Physics Dept: http://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy4803L.

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/544129.

There is no required text for this course. However, a large library of reference material and useful resources is available from the course's website: http://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy4803L.

• PHY 4604.

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.

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 groups of two or three with experimental rotations determined at the beginning of the semester. Each student will perform a total of 4 experiments. You may indicate your preferences from among the 13 available experiments, which are classified into 5 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.

You can submit your experiment preferences by visiting this survey, or scanning the qr code.

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 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 or preparing the presentation.

The overall course load has been designed to be roughly constant throughout a semester, i.e. as the workload from one experiments begins 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:

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.

Please refer to the Course Schedule for a schedule of assignments and due dates. All assignments must be submitted via Canvas by 9:30 am on the day they are due. The one exception are the presentation slides which must be uploaded to canvas by 11:59 pm the night before your presentation. 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.

Because 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 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 a daily sign in sheet. You must sign in by 9:50 am to be considered on time.

Attendance Factor

The experimental rotations are designed to take the full allotted six sessions to be performed properly. 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

The first rotation consists of seven 3-hour sessions; the remaining three consist 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.

Please consult the official University Policy for Attendance, linked from the UF Registrar’s web site.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID, 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.

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 (i.e. 8:30 am, through Canvas).

The rotation homework questions for each rotation, labelled as Exercises, are embedded in each experiment's lab manual. Importantly, not all of these are required to be completed. Please see here for the required exercises for each experiment.

The statistics homework questions are embedded in the Statistical Analysis of Experimental Data writeup, split into 3 homework submissions as outlined here.

The late submission policy also applies to statistical homework, LaTeX assignment, and rotation homework.

Personal performance

The personal performance grade will be assigned on each experiment based on your ability to convey to the instructors your engagement with/understanding of:

• The equipment used in the experiment.
• The techniques used in the experiment.
• The physical principles that the experiment is investigating.
• The data analysis techniques that you used to draw inferences about your experimental results.

The instructors will base their scores on interactions with you and whether you maintain professional and productive interactions with your lab partner(s) throughout the lab sessions. The "default" personal performance score for each experiment is 3.25/4, i.e. a little above A-. Ways to boost your score include thinking of (and discussing with the instructor) possible extensions to the experiment, implications of the results beyond those described in the lab manual, or interesting parallels with other areas of physics. You can score lower than the default by simply "going through the motions" and following the lab manual instructions without applying critical thought, and lower still by not even following the manual correctly.

Read Writing Scientific Reports Using LaTeX 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: (20%) 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: (40%) This section should explain the data analysis and how it leads to the results, including random uncertainties and possible systematic effects.
• Conclusions: (10%) 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: The comprehension questions from the lab manual are not explicitly assessed, but rather they are intended to guide your discussion in the lab reports. You should strongly consider including the answers to at least some of these questions in the main body of the report (e.g in the Analysis or Conclusions sections).
  
• 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.)
• Use of graphs and diagrams you did not prepare: The creator of an image usually holds the copyright to the image. This right exists even if there is no © attached. If you wish to use such an image in your report, you must make a citation of the source in the report. The citation is required even if the image is in the public domain.
• 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 second rotation, you will deliver on October 9 in class 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 12 minutes to present plus 3 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 speaking.

Please read the following section carefully:

• 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 fifth 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 sixth session is to clean up any remaining details, work on the report and prepare for the next experiment.

Refer to the Laboratory Notebook Guidelines for details on maintaining a laboratory notebook.

We recommend using an online lab notebook to store your progress, raw data files, analysis scripts, and even finished plots. Further guidance on how to set up and use this will be provided in class.

An alternative/back up option is to bring a flash drive or USB 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.

A list of the available experiments and a brief description of each can be found on the Experiments page.

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.