Syllabus for
PHY252
Spring 2013
LABORATORY REQUIREMENTS
- Lab Manual: All of the lab write-ups can be downloaded (for free) from the PHY252 course schedule webpage here . You must print out the write-up ahead of time and bring it with you to lab each week. You will NOT be allowed to print copies of the write-up on the lab printers.
- Cell phones are NOT allowed during lab: Cell phones must be turned off and stored in your backpack/bag. Anyone with a cell phone out during lab will receive a 0.0 for that experiment.
- Absolutely NO food or drink are allowed in lab!
- Pens: Pencils are not allowed, ink is required.
- PHY252 on the Web : http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/2013spring/PHY252
- Cover Page: Fill out this cover sheet each week and bring it with you to lab.
- Calculator: Trigonometric and logarithmic functions are required. Statistical functions might be useful, but are not required.
- USB Stick: The files on the computers are volatile...that is, if the computer is restarted your files will have been erased. It is a good idea to have a USB stick inserted that you backup to periodically during the lab in case the computer crashes.
SCHEDULE
Laboratories will begin on January 7
PREPARATION
You will find it very helpful to prepare (i.e. read and
study the materials for the laboratories) before you come to class. Being prepared before you
come to your lab session will enable you to finish on time, enjoy the lab more
and help you get a higher grade. During the first 5 minutes of every lab period an open book quiz will
be given aimed at testing your readiness to perform that day's experiment. Please arrive on
time or you will miss the quiz and the points. The quiz cannot be started when there is less
than 1 minute to go in the 5 minutes allotted.
All materials to be graded must be completed during your lab period and handed in to the instructor before you leave the lab; there will be ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS. The lab report consists of a cover sheet (that can be downloaded from here) plus any spreadsheets (both data and formula views from Excel) and plots requested. Please print out and fill in the cover sheet each week BEFORE coming to lab. Sample calculations are required for each formula that was entered into your spreadsheet to verify it was done correctly. At the bottom of any graph must be a statement of what is being plotted, and if a straight line fit is done, a quote of its parameters (e.g. slope and its uncertainty). In addition, any worksheets containing questions to be answered should be turned in with your data.
During practical labs, no outside notes, use of the Internet, calculators or discussions with other students are allowed. Students making use of unauthorized help for the practical will receive a 0.0 for that practical. Each student will perform one of the experiments that was done earlier in the semester by him or herself. The experimental write-up for the practical will be posted on the course website the week before the lab. It will be worth 20 points and you'll have 45 minutes to complete it. During the week of a practical, half of the class will do the lab during the first 45 minutes and the other half during the last 45 minutes of the lab period. A schedule will be arranged a week before the practical. There will be 2 practical labs.
GRADES
All labs, including the practicals, will be graded by your instructor on a
20 point scale and will be handed back at the beginning of the next lab.
The points will be distributed roughly as follows: quiz (3 pts), acquisition of data (5 pts),
graphs and calculations (6 pts), and answers to questions (6 pts).
Your grade will be based on the total number of points for the labs and quizzes. Since the instructors for the various sections do not necessarily grade identically, the scores for a given instructor's sections will be considered as a group for grading purposes. Each of the groups will receive approximately the same average grade in the course, so that there is no advantage to having one instructor over another. Within a group, the grades will be assigned strictly in order of points achieved. The grade will be determined by a curve, not a "straight scale". Please obtain from your instructor and save your graded lab reports and quizzes. You will need all of these if, at the end of the semester, you think your grade was incorrectly calculated.
Plagiarism or copying will not be tolerated. Lab partners are expected to turn in copies of the same Excel spreadsheets and graphs BUT answers to the questions and comments on graphs are not to be the same. Lab partners turning in identical answers (or slightly modified versions) will BOTH receive 0.0s for that lab. Any lab report that copies directly from the lab manual will receive a 0.0. An Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed as required by the university for any penalty grade given (see MSU's policy on Academic Integrity at https://www.msu.edu/~ombud/academic-integrity/index.html).
MISSING/MAKE-UP LABS
Because personally participating in each laboratory is an essential part of this course,
you must be present for each session. Should you find yourself in a position
where you must miss a session, you should contact your instructor beforehand and
provide an explanatory note with suitable documentation. Make-up labs will be limited to attending
another lab section during the same week (as the equipment changes each week) that has less than
20 students enrolled. Please note that most sections are currently full so it may not be possible to
find room in another section for a make-up lab. If you miss a lab for an unanticipated reason,
such as illness, you must notify your instructor no later than 24 hours after the missed lab and
provide suitable documentation (i.e. a note from your doctor). Your TA is in charge of finding you an
open lab slot for a make-up. Do not show up at another section without prior arrangements or you will
not be admitted. To ease the burden on students who miss a lab due to a legitimate reason, we will
drop the lowest lab score of the semester (which can be one of your practical labs) before computing
your grade. Absences that are not excused will receive a 0.0 for the lab and cannot be used as
your dropped score.
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities and/or any other special needs should identify themselves to the
instructor during the first week of class. You must provide a copy (or an email) of your VISA from
the RCPD office to both your TA and the lab coordinator by the end of the second week of class.
Individual arrangements will be made to accommodate
those needs on a case-by-case basis. It may not be possible to honor VISAs that are presented to
the instructor after the second week of class. For example, you will not be allowed extra time on the
practical lab if you have not given your VISA to the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
CONCERNS/PROBLEMS
Your lab instructor (the TA) is in charge of all aspects of laboratory procedures.
Please confer with him/her if you have a problem, since they can ordinarily
solve most of them. Communications regarding the day-to-day operations (such as a missed lab)
should be directed to your TA, NOT the lab coordinator. Your TA will provide you with their
email address and office hours at the beginning of the semester. If you have concerns about a score
on a lab you must make an appointment to meet with your lab instructor outside of lab time.
TAs will not respond to questions concerning individual lab grades while a lab section is in session.
If there are issues that your TA cannot address, you should contact the lab coordinator Prof. Kirsten Tollefson. Please set up an appointment by email to tollefson@pa.msu.edu.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
· Bring a USB memory stick so you can save your files as you work.
There is no space on the computers in the lab for your files.
· SAVE YOUR
DATA OFTEN!!! There are no student data back-ups and all data is
deleted when you log-off the computer at the end of the lab period. · All the necessary computer software
and spreadsheets will be on the computer when you start, so you should not
have to search for items. · No food or drinks of any
kind are allowed in the laboratories....there are NO
exceptions.