General Physics Laboratory - 11:00 TR

Fall 2004

Instructor:  John Shaw

Office: Room 101

Phone: (318) 357-3174 ext. 128

Email: jshaw@lsmsa.edu

Website: http://www.lsmsa.edu/jshaw

 

Guided Study: 4-5:30 R

 

Office Hours:Monday: 10-11, 1-2 MWF; 10-11T, 1-2R 

Course Goals:

Physics Laboratory is part of your physics lecture class. Lab reinforces concepts taught in lecture and teaches you how to design experiments, execute experiments, and report on scientific research.

 

Your Grade:

In each lab you will perform an experiment and collect data. Your grade will depend on these things:

1.      Your attendance to the lab and your individual participation in the lab experiment

2.      Your lab notes and data collected in your notebook.  You must keep data in your lab notebook and save copies of your data to the labserver for each lab.

3.      Your analysis of the data and the presentation of your results in your reports.  There will be informal reports and formal reports which carry different weights.

4.      N.B. You must pass lab to pass the class, and vice versa.

 

 

Grading Scale

Components of your grade

A

100-90

Lab Reports

40% formal 25% informal

-------------

65% net

B

89-80

PreLab

15%

C

79-70

Notebook

  5%

Failing

69-below

 Lab Final

 15%

 

 

 

100% total

                                                                                                           

 

If you are not in my lecture class, a number grade based on the scale above will be reported to your lecture professor and they will incorporate this grade into your final semester grade.

 

 

 

Attendance:

Attendance at the lecture and the labs is mandatory. The student is referred to the student handbook, pp.20-23. In this class, three tardies will equal one unexcused absence. Also, since lab is part of the class, an absence from the laboratory is combined with the absences from lecture when computing total absences per semester. REMEMBER, 4 unexcused absences results in a FAILING GRADE (this is written in stone in the "great book" and is unchangeable). I will accept work late for EXCUSED absences ONLY. If you are UNEXCUSED, you will receive a 0 for that quiz or test. If you are unexcused from the final exam, you will receive a failing grade for the course. I will accept late homework with the following deductions from your grade.

 

Assignments:

1.      Lab reports or lab exercises/questions are due at the beginning of class and it is your responsibility to get the assignment into your classes’ folder on the desk.  The only other safe place for an assignment is my mailbox in the mailroom if you have an excused absence.  Do NOT place anything in my office.  If you do, it is at your own risk.  Once you see my office you will know why. 

2.      If you are going to miss a class (excused or unexcused) you must turn in your assignments to me ahead of time.  So, if you know you will miss a class, I must have your lab report in my mail box before class.  This is your way of missing the lab period and still receiving credit for the lab assignment due that day.  Since you must be in class to complete the lab, you have to make up or take a zero for the lab you miss.

3.      KEEP ALL YOUR WORK FOR THE WHOLE SEMESTER.  If I inadvertently forget to record your grade, you need proof that you actually did the assignment.  If you tell me that you did it and I gave you a grade, then you need to produce the graded assignment as proof.  Unfortunately, I’m not perfect.  On the other hand, I’ve had students lie to me about this. 

I will not accept late assignments, period.

 

Honor Code:

All students will be held to the honor code and must sign the honor code to their tests. The student is referred to the student handbook.

 

Laboratory Schedule (Tentative)

Week beginning

Laboratory

Manual Section

Monday, Aug 16

Syllabus; Measurement and propagation of errors

Intro and Appendices

Aug. 23th

Circles

GP1

Aug. 30

Vectors Addition

GP2

Sept 6

Uniform Acceleration

GP3

Sept 13

Free Fall

GP4

Sept 20

Atwood’s Machine

GP5

Sept. 27

Friction

GP6

Oct 4

To be announced …

 

Oct 11

Uniform Circular Motion

GP7

Oct 18

Energy Conservation

GP8

Oct 25

Momentum Conservation

GP9

Nov 1

Ballistic Pendulum

GP10

Nov 8

Rotational Inertia

GP11

Nov 15

Torque

GP12

Nov 22

Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Nov 29

Lab Exam