PHYSICS LABORATORY
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Full programme
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Probability & Statistics course – introductory physics lectures. Fundamentals of coding and computer science.
Evaluation of the essays reporting the lab activities. For every experiment, the background and motivation shall be presented, followed by a description of the experimental apparatus, the experimental sequence, the results of the data analysis.
In terms of knowledge, the main objective is to guide the student towards the scientific method. In terms of applications, the student is expected to be able to perform basic experiments, organizing a log-book, record data and perform a basic analysis, computer assisted.
- Analysis (qualitative and quantitative) of the physics underlying the proposed experiments
- Analysis of the experimental set-up
- Performing the experiment and collecting data
- Data analysis
- Reporting
The lab course is based on the following activities:
- advanced data analysis, starting from a data set stemming from the research activities of the professor in charge;
- run of simple experiments, based on set-ups available in the teaching lab, after an introduction on the principles of the phenomenon being investigated and the experimental set-up;
- analysis of the recorded data;
- write-up of an essay.
Students are expected to perform a series of basic experiments (e.g. measurement of the gravitational constant by a Cavendish balance apparatus; characterization of a mechanical oscillator, measurement of g with a Kater pendulum, mechanical equivalent of a prefect gas, and more).
Every experiment will require 2 weeks: during week 1, the student will get acquainted with the problem and the apparatus, will perform it and collect the data. During week 2, he/she will analyze the data by using MATLAB and relying on the outcome of the firs semester courses in programming, statistics & probability.Simple experiments based on using sensors embedded in "smart phones" are also considered.
A series of advanced analyses will also be proposed, based on data collected by the Researchers collaborating with the professor in charge.
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