ISP 209L: The Mystery of the Physical World Laboratory

Instructor Information

Pengpeng Zhang, professor, zhang@pa.msu.edu , 884-5630

Jason Jock, teaching assistant, jockjaso@msu.edu

Chetan Goyal, teaching aide

Lab Hours

Section 1: Monday, 9:10am – 12:00pm, Rm 268 Giltner (Instructor: Zhang)

Section 2: Monday, 12:40pm – 3:30pm, Rm 268 Giltner (Instructor: Zhang)

Section 3: Monday, 4:10pm – 7:00pm, Rm 268 Giltner (Instructor: Jock)

Office Hours

Before and after every section of ISP 209L or by appointment (zhang@pa.msu.edu)

Course Schedule 

Required Materials

Course Pack: ISP 209L Course Pack, Author: Professor Stuart Tessmer.

The Course Pack can be downloaded in pdf format at: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/2007spring/ISP209L/ISP209L-Course-Pack.pdf

It is also available at the Spartan Bookstore for about $5.00.

You must bring the corresponding pages from the Course Pack, it will not be possible to do any lab without the Course Pack.

Other tools: Please bring a scientific calculator with trigonometric functions, logarithmic functions and scientific notation.

Laboratory Procedure and Attendance Policy

Prior to each lab, you will take a short online quiz using LON-CAPA. The main purpose of the quiz is to give you extra incentive to read through the lab materials in advance. Each lab will begin with a brief introductory lecture.

Working in groups of 3 you will then perform the experiment(s) and log the measured data on the corresponding pages of the Course Pack. After conducting the measurements and tabulating the data, each student will analyze the data independently and present the results and answer the questions in the Course Pack. You are encouraged to discuss the analysis and questions with your fellow group members since science is typically a collaborative effort. However, please keep in mind that the work you turn in has to be your own.

All material, including data sheets, graphs, answers to questions, have to be prepared by each student during the lab period and everything has to be handed in for grading before leaving the lab. Because the lab must be prepared immediately for the next section, the work must be turned in promptly at the end of the period. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Due to scheduling constraints in Giltner 268, there will be no opportunity to make up a missed lab under any circumstances. Please note that your lowest lab score, e.g. zero for a missed lab, will be dropped before computing your final grade (see below).

In the event that two labs are missed with legitimate excuses, such as an extended illness, you should inform the instructor by email within 48 hours of each lab. Documentation, such as a doctor's note, is required. In these cases, the missing lab score will be replaced at the end of the semester by an average of the other scores. In the event that you miss more than two labs during your excused absence, it will be left to the instructor's discretion whether or not the student must perform some type of make up.

Unexcused absences, however, will always be a zero in the grade book. The same applies to cases in which a student misses a lab because he/she forgot to bring the relevant pages from the Course Pack. Students who arrive more than 30 minutes late will not be allowed to do the lab.

Quizzes and Final Exam

Quizzes will be conducted on the web prior to each lab using the LON-CAPA system. Each quiz will be opened on Wednesday morning (five days before the lab) and it will be closed Sunday at midnight. You are required to log on to LON-CAPA and take the quiz somewhere in that time frame. The quizzes will help to understand the lab procedures.

Final Exam: Monday, December 6, during the lab period of your section in Giltner 268.

Grading Policy

The quizzes count for 3 points. The lab reports will be graded on a 0 to 7 point scale. The total number of points possible for each lab class will be 10. There are 12 labs during the semester and the highest 11 will count in the final grade.

Your final grade will depend on your class percentage with the lab score (QL) weighted by 80% and the final exam (FE) weighted by 20%. QL and FE will be determined as follows: QL=(Quiz + Lab total)/110, FE=(Final exam percentage)/100. Your final class percentage is then Class Percentage = 100*[QL*0.8+FE*0.2].

The cutoffs to determine your final grade are given in the following table: