1. Physics 131 Introduction Instructor: Dr. Michael Chen Office: P9442 Office Hour: MWF. 10:30-11:30am; or by appointment Email: mxchen@sfu.camxchen@sfu.ca Lab Technician: TBA SectionTAEmail D100 Chang Min KIM cmk4@sfu.ca D200Shaojie YINsya9@sfu.ca

2. Physics 131 Introduction Week ofLaboratoryPrelab Assignment/Quizzes Jan. 7General Introduction, Error Analysisnone Jan. 14Lab 1: The Simple Pendulum (8)Error Analysis Assignment (5) Jan. 21Lab 2: DC Circuits and Measurements (6)Prelab Questions (2) Jan. 28Lab 3: AC Circuits and the Oscilloscope (6)Prelab Questions (2) Feb. 4Lab 4: The Magnetic Field (8)Prelab Questions (2) Feb. 11Reading break – no lab Feb. 18Lab 4: The Magnetic Field (again) Feb. 25Lab 5: Ray Optics, Reflections, and Concave Mirrors (6) Prelab Questions (2) Mar. 4Lab 6: Refraction and Thin Lenses (8)Prelab Questions (2) Mar. 11Lab 7: Polarization and Colour (6)Prelab Questions (2) Mar. 18Lab 8: Interference and Diffraction (6)Prelab Questions (2) Mar. 25Practice for Practical Exam Apr. 2, 3Makeup Week Apr. 8Practical Exam (30)

3. Physics 131 Introduction Formal Report Lab 4: The Magnetic Field (focus on the current balance and your measurement of m 0 in particular). Engineering students taking ENSC 102 concurrently will have their formal report marked by the ENSC 102 instructor. A draft of your report will be due at the start of class, Monday, March 4. (Engineering students taking ENSC102 must hand in the draft to the instructor of ENSC 102 by Friday March 8).Your draft will be marked and feedback provided, which you will use to polish up your report. The finalized report is due by Wednesday, April 3. (April 5 for engineering students taking ENSC 102)

4. Physics 131 Introduction Course Policies All labs must be done in your scheduled section. If you miss a lab, you must bring me medical documentation ASAP. There will be a makeup week near the end of the semester. Prelab assignments: Due 10 minutes before the lab starts. Late prelab assignments will not be accepted. Lab write-ups are due at the end of the lab. All lab write-ups must be done in the lab notebooks. Late work will not be accepted. Do not copy data or anything else from others – hand in your own work

5. Physics 131 Introduction What to do each week 1.Read the lab manual! Check other references, in particular your text! 2.Do the prelab assignment. 3.Think about what you are trying to measure and try to figure out which issues will be important in doing the experiment. 4.Come to lab; listen to a brief lecture about the week’s material. 5.Do the experiment. You will work in pairs with the same lab partner throughout the semester. Make sure you record all data, including uncertainties. Make graphs and calculations as you go to guide your experiments. 6.Use a pen to record data. Do not use a pencil! When you make a mistake, just cross it out (one can still see the bad data). Don’t use white-out to cover it up. 7.After taking data, finish the calculations, error analysis, and write a short conclusion. 8. Turn in work by the end of class, i.e., 5:20 pm, sharp!

6. Physics 131 Introduction Grading Your course grade will be based on prelab assignments, the lab notebook, the formal report and the practical exam. It is required to complete all the labs to receive a passing grade of the course. Prelab Assignments: 2 marks each (except for the first assignment which is 5 marks) Notebooks: 6 marks for each lab, except for Labs 1, 4 and 5, which are 8 marks each 0: No show 1: Do experiment partially with incomplete results 2–3: Do experiment with major error in method or analysis 4–5: Do experiment satisfactorily but with minor faults 6: Do experiment well Error analysis: 2 marks (Lab 1, Lab 4 and Lab 6). Practical exam: 30 marks Formal Report: 20 marks Semester total: 123 marks maximum

7. Physics 131 Introduction Drop-a-Ball Experiment Measure the time it takes for a ball at rest to drop by 2.00m. > 3) Next drop a ball from above your shoulders, and have the students record the time on a stop watch. Have at least 10 of them write their times on the board in a table with column headings: Trial #, Measured Value of t_i (sec), and Deviation d_i = x_i - (sec). Comment on the distribution and discuss the factors that contribute to this. Then have the students calculate the average, the difference between each measurement and the average (i.e. deviation), and the standard deviation. Finish by showing them how to formally combine the average and standard deviation (e.g. t = 3.60 +/- 0.09 s). > > 4) Before leaving tell the students to read Lab 1: The Pendulum and do the Error Analysis Problems before coming to the lab the following week. >

8. Physics 131 Introduction Drop-a-Ball Experiment Measure the time it takes for a ball at rest to drop by 2.00m. Trial # Time t i (sec) Deviation d i =xi - (sec) Result: The time it takes for the ball to drop by 2.00 m is t = 0.67 ± 0.05 sec

9. Physics 131 Introduction Statistical Analysis: Suppose we have many measurements, each with random errors. The mean and the standard deviation describe the distribution of data expected. These should not change as the number of measurements is increased. Our estimate of the mean will improve, so we expect the standard deviation of the mean to get smaller as we do more measurements. Mean Standard Deviation Uncertainty in Mean

10. Physics 131 Introduction To do before you come to the lab next week Read lab 1 (The Pendulum) of the lab manual, and check the references if necessary. Do the prelab assignment.