Basic Physics Lab I

PHY 121L…Syllabus

Physics Department…Mercer University

Text: You will find all labs on line. Please bring a copy of the lab to class. Labs should be read before coming to class. Data tables, etc. will be printed in the class as needed. One copy of the lab should be available at each lab table during the class.

Class Meeting Times: Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on your assigned section) from 6:00 PM until 8:40 PM

Place: Science and Engineering Building, room 219

Instructor: Barbara Henley

Phone: 301-5303 (Mercer office) 477-6505 (Presbyterian office) Leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.

E-mail: bhenley@fpdmacon.org, or henhaus@bellsouth.net Please email me at the first email listed if you want an immediate response. Email me at my Mercer address if you don’t need an immediate reply.

Office Hours: I will be available for one hour before each lab in room SEB 219.

You will find the dates of each lab on line and I have also included a list with this syllabus. We will do a lab each week according to the physics webpage. Each lab is required and there should be no reason to miss lab unless excused by the University. The last night of class is the post lab and this is a required part of the lab. Please see the webpage for details.

This course is the laboratory counterpart to PHY 141 and PHY 161 which is the first in the two semester sequence PHY 141/142 or PHY 161/162, Introductory Physics I/II, an algebra based introduction to physics. In this course, students will learn to think scientifically about numbers representing the physical world. This will involve preparation of the experimental apparatus, taking the data itself, computing derived quantities, and arriving at sound conclusions based on all the above. Although we will investigate a number of specific physical systems, the student’s goal should be to learn to think about nature and perform experiments as scientists do. This course is intended for physical science majors, engineering majors, and others with good mathematical aptitude.

Labs: There are a total of eleven labs. Each lab will be worth 15 points. Some of the labs will be done individually and some will be done as a group. On the schedule provided, I have indicated which will be group labs. For each group lab, one lab report will be produced by each label group. The members of each group which took part in a given lab are responsible for meeting outside class time to produce the report for that lab. All group members who took part in a lab and signed the lab report will receive the same grade for that lab. Any group member who did not take part in the lab or did not help to produce the report should not sign the report, and will not receive any credit for the lab. All labs are due at the beginning of the lab the following week. Points will be deducted for any late labs. On the individual labs, students may compare data but not work on extra problem answers. All graphs are to be done manually unless instructed to do so by the lab or the lab instructor. No lab will be accepted more than one week past the due date.

Grading Scale:

Total possible points Grade

165 - 149 A

148 - 145 B+

114 - 132 B

131 - 129 C+

128 - 116 C

115 – 99 D

Below 97.5 F

Additional Comments:

- Class attendance is VERY important. Do not be late for lab. The class begins promptly at 6:00. There are NO make-up labs. However, if a student has an official excuse for a missed lab, such as a note from a Dean’s office, their grade will not suffer. There are several lab times available and the student can be rescheduled for another lab time with permission from the instructors.

- There will be no dropped grades.

- -There will be no extra credit

- All grades are final one week after the material are graded and returned to the students.

- Students who believe they possess disabilities for which reasonable accommodation is required must inform the instructor at the close of the first night of class.

- All students are bound by the MERCER UNIVERSITY HONOR CODE

- I will be available for additional lab help Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday at 5:00 PM in our lab room. I am also available any other afternoon if you set up an appointment the day before.