Prerequisites

This course assumes knowledge of the material in A-level Physics and Mathematics; however it is also accessible to students who have not taken A-level Physics but who have taken three Mechanics modules in A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics.  It does not require any prior experience of carrying out Physics practical work.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment

The aim of the Part IA practical course is to teach basic experimental, data-analysis and record-keeping skills. The experiments have been chosen to develop particular skills, although the experiments in the Lent and Easter terms also reinforce material from the lectures.

In this course you will familiarise yourself with the tasks involved in performing an experiment and will understand how to make brief clear laboratory notes (including tabulating data and plotting graphs); you will also gain experience in writing formal reports on experiments.  You will learn to pace yourself and balance the amount of detail and precision with the need to finish the task in the time available.

Through performing a variety of experiments you will acquire the following skills:

  • taking readings and keeping records;
  • using Excel spreadsheets to analyse data, carry out calculations, plot graphs and perform linear regression;
  • assessing and understanding the nature of random errors, calculating the mean and standard deviation of a sample and the error in the mean;
  • combining errors;
  • assessing which parts of an experiment demand the more accurate measuring procedures;
  • assessing, correcting for and eliminating (where possible) systematic errors;
  • appreciating difficulties that can arise in data analysis and recognising unexpected phenomena.

You will learn how to use unfamiliar equipment proficiently and identify when it is not working.  You will understand how to set up simple electrical circuits and how to use basic electrical apparatus, specifically multimeters, picoscopes and function generators. 

Synopsis

Michaelmas Term

You will attend four practicals in the first-year physics practical laboratory.  These experiments are primarily intended to teach experimental skills – including how to keep a good laboratory notebook – and to introduce experimental errors and their treatment.  The required theory, as well as a general overview of experimental skills, will be included in the “Dynamics” lecture course.

E1.          Introduction to practical teaching. This is divided into six different short experiments, with the aim of observing, and then making brief notes on, some unfamiliar physical phenomena. 

E2.         Galileo’s rolling ball experiment. This aims to introduce the basic methods of experimental measurement and errors through an investigation of the acceleration of a mass rolling down a ramp.

E3.         Thermal excitation in a semiconductor. This experiment measures the variation of the electrical resistance of a semiconductor with temperature, testing the behaviour predicted by quantum physics.

E4.         Measurement of g using a rigid pendulum. The aim of this experiment is to measure the value of g with a precision of about one part in a thousand using the oscillations of a rigid pendulum.

Lent and Easter Terms

You will carry out experiments to investigate among other things: the oscillations of a mechanical system; the measurement of electrical signals and electrical resonance; the properties of simple lenses and mirrors; diffraction.

Formal Reports

Students are required to produce two formal reports which are assessed by a Head of Class; the marks awarded count towards the end-of-year assessment.  The first report, to be handed in at the start of the Lent term, will be based on one of the experiments carried out in the Michaelmas term; the second one, to be handed in at the start of the Easter term, will be a full report on one of the Lent-term experiments.

BOOKS

Practical Physics, Squires G L (4th edn CUP 2001).

Experimental methods: An Introduction to the Analysis and Presentation of Data, Kirkup L (Wiley 1994).

Experimental Physics: Modern Methods, Dunlap R A (OUP 1989)

An Introduction to Experimental Physics, Cooke C (Routledge 1996)

Measurements and their Uncertainties: A Practical Guide to Modern Error Analysis, Hughes I G & Hase T P A (Oxford 2010)

Mr Mark SmithTechnician
Dr Chris BraithwaiteHead of Class All year
Dr Chris BraithwaiteOverall Head of Class All year
Dr Dave GreenOverall Head of Class All year
Prof Tina PotterOverall Head of Class All year
Dr Julia RileyOverall Head of Class All year
Rachael BishopTechnician All year
Mr John FlynnTechnician All year
Richard KingTechnician All year
Helen MarshallTechnician All year
Dr Helena KnowlesHead of Class Easter
Dr Julia RileyHead of Class Easter
Dr Eloy de Lera AcedoHead of Class Easter
Dr Hugo BronsteinHead of Class Lent
Prof John EllisHead of Class Lent
Dr Dave GreenHead of Class Michaelmas
Prof Neil GreenhamHead of Class Michaelmas
Prof Tina PotterHead of Class Michaelmas
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