DW 07.29.2011

Physics 231 Fall 2011 Laboratory Experiments: Text: Professor Wimbush Laboratory Manual

Week

1. Safety Review, Lab Report Overview, Measurement and Errors

2. Velocity and Acceleration

3. Equilibrium of Forces

4. Newton’s Second Law

5. Centripetal Force

6. Energy:Potential and Kinetic

7. Conservation of Momentum (Linear)

8. Conservation of Momentum (2D)

9. Moment of Inertia

10. Rotational Equilibrium

11. Simple Harmonic Motion

12. The Speed of Sound

13. Longitudinal Wave Resonance

Note: The experiments rely on the Lab Manual. An error analysis section taken from a text by Wilson has been distributed as a handout addition. Reports are due one week from experiment. Reports must include:

I. Brief Overview and Purpose

II. Relevant Diagrams

III. Data Results

IV. Comparison to theory

V. Error Analysis

VI. Conclusions

III. and IV. will contain any relevant graphs

Lab Grading:

Labs are graded with the point scores 1,2,3. The highest score, 3, means everything required was handed in and completed. The middle score, 2, indicates a missing, or incomplete, section. The lowest score, 1, indicates something terminally wrong with the writeup/procedure. The lab scores are summed and then normalized at the end of the semester. Most often I assign “+” and “-” to the numerical grades. Two “+”’s raise the total points by 1; two “-”’s lower the total points by 1. NOTE: The lowest score often results from sloppy work, copying a lab that someone else has done (in this year, or in previous years), or generally simply unacceptable work.