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Department of Physics, Unit Catalogue 2007/08


PH30036 Final year project

Credits: 12
Level: Honours
Academic Year
Assessment: PR75OR25
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take an appropriate selection of year 1 and year 2 Physics units. Aims: The aims of this unit are to provide students with the opportunity to investigate an aspect or application of physics, and to develop experimental and/or computational skills complementary to those developed in lecture courses.
Learning Outcomes:
While taking this unit the student should be able to:
* research the background to the project using academic journals, textbooks and computer-based resources;
* demonstrate some innovation and initiative, as well as a basic understanding of the theory and background to the project;
* demonstrate industry and motivation in carrying out the project;
* for an experimental project, demonstrate good practical skills in the construction of apparatus and circuits and in data measurement and analysis;
* for a computational project, design, write and test computer programs to simulate the physical system under study, and interpret the results from these programs.
Skills:
Written Communication T/F A, Spoken Communication T/F A, Numeracy T/F A, Data Acquisition, Handling, and Analysis T/F A, Information Technology T/F A, Problem Solving T/F A, Working as part of a group T/F A, (Practical laboratory skills T/F A), Project planning/management T/F A.
Content:
Final year projects offered cover a wide range of physics and most reflect the research interests of academic staff. Many are related to the Department's externally sponsored research projects (funded by the Research Councils, public companies, and UK government or EU agencies). Each year a few projects are carried over from students' industrial placements. A few projects are concerned with the development of undergraduate experiments.