PH10115: Experimental physics and computing 1b
[Page last updated: 15 October 2020]
 Academic Year: | 2020/1 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Physics |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Certificate (FHEQ level 4) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | PR 100% |
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| Description: | Aims: The primary aims of this unit are to give the student confidence and competence in basic laboratory and information processing skills, and to introduce laboratory project work. Further aims are to encourage the application of basic principles to unfamiliar areas of physics, and to reinforce other course material through self-paced laboratory demonstrations. Two additional aims are to introduce computer programming, and to give students experience of presenting their work in the form of a poster. Learning Outcomes: While taking this unit the student should be able to: * demonstrate the correct use of common laboratory equipment; * set up and carry out experimental demonstrations related to level 1 physics units; * use a scientific log book for recording details of experimental procedure, experimental results and data analysis; * plan, design and carry out a physics project consisting of a small-scale experimental investigation; * analyse experimental and observational data, and write a formal scientific project report; * design and make a poster based on a physics project, and present this at an open poster presentation. 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, Practical laboratory skills T/F A, Project planning/management T/F A. Content: Techniques of measurement: Examples include use of oscilloscope, light sources and detectors, operational amplifiers, geometrical optics, introduction to computer data acquisition. Demonstrations: Examples include velocity of light, astrophysical data analysis, elastic properties, spectrum of atomic hydrogen, ultrasonic waves in air, the Michelson interferometer, heat engines, and photoelectric determination of Planck's constant. Electronics: Resonant ac circuits and filters. Operational amplifiers. Project: An independent project to simulate the processes of researching, planning, performing, analysing and reporting a small-scale experimental investigation. The topics are chosen from a wide range of physics appropriate to first-year students, including hypothesis testing, design of apparatus and investigating unfamiliar phenomena. PC laboratory sessions: Introduction to programming in Python. Poster presentation: The students' project is presented in the form of a poster, in a style similar to that of conference posters. This will be judged by staff and students at an open presentation |
| Programme availability: |
PH10115 is only available subject to the approval of the Physics Director of Studies/Director of Teaching. |
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