RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

01:750:275 Classical Physics Lab I (2 credits)

 

Course overview

Experimental lab course in classical mechanics aimed for students in honors physics/astronomy or engineering programs. This course is designed to help students better understand the critical concepts of classical mechanics through ten hands-on experiments and data analysis on kinematics, Newtons’ Laws, collisions, energy conservation, pendulum, harmonic oscillator, etc.

 

Topics & course schedule

• Error Analysis I Instructions in Mathematica / Example
• Kinematics prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica / Example
• Newton's Laws prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Error Analysis II prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Collisions I prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Collisions II  Instructions in Mathematica
• Ballistic Pendulum prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Simple Harmonic Oscillator prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Gravity prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica
• Standing Waves prerequisite / Instructions in Mathematica

 

Learning goals

• How to manipulate experimental apparatus/computerized-modern measurement sensors and run experiments
• How to conduct rigorous error analysis of experimental data (application of calculus and statistics)
• Experimentally confirming (or disconfirming) the framework of classical physics using your own data
• Develop critical thinking skills through the process of making sense of your data either when they agree or disagree with theoretical predictions. Students will learn how to think like a real scientist.
• Develop Mathematica skills to efficiently perform data analysis and write lab report

 

Location (Room 106, Serin Building of Physics and Astronomy) 

 

Instructors

• Sang-Hyuk Lee: shlee@physics.rutgers.edu, (848) 445-5286, Proteomics 308A

 

*Remote office hour through Zoom is available by appointment (contact your instructor in advance to make an appointment) 

Text materials

Mathematica notebook-based lab manuals and selected chapters of the following books are available on Canvas course site: 

• P. R. Bevington, "Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences", McGrawHill, ISBN:978-0072472271
• John R. Taylor, "An Introduction to Error Analysis", University Science Books, ISBN: 978-0935702750

 

Required software 

Mathematica (required)

• Students are required to install and set up Mathematica on their personal computers. University-licensed copy can be downloaded from https://software.rutgers.edu/info/login/.
• Students should learn the basics of Mathematica by themselves before the start of Lab 1.  "Hands-on Start to Mathematica" video is a good start: https://www.wolfram.com/wolfram-u/catalog/gen005/. Mathematica tutorial is also highly recommended for students to quickly go over and rely on as a reference through the semester: https://www.wolfram.com/language/fast-introduction-for-programmers/en/

 

Logger Pro (recommended)

• Windows 10: https://www.vernier.com/d/o9qst
• Mac OS: https://www.vernier.com/d/xajfo
• Installation instruction: https://www.vernier.com/til/2069/

 

Course structure & policies

• Two students will work together as a team. Partners will be randomly determined every two (or three) weeks.
• At the beginning of each lab, instructor will give a review of the previous lab and an overview of the lab of the week. Then students will go over the lab manual, conduct experiment, and write lab report on their own. Students are encouraged to collaborate with their partners for their lab reports during lab sessions. Instructor will be available through the entire lab session to help students with any problems or questions. Both students in a team should be actively involved in all the lab activity, from experiment to analysis. Instructor will monitor whether the activity and role of the partners are fairly shared and reflect the student involvement on the grading. 
• Lab manuals are based on Mathematica notebooks, which also serve as templates for your lab reports. Students are required to follow the instructions in lab manuals, perform ‘in-place’ analysis using the computational functionality of Mathematica, and answer questions. This filled-out lab Mathematica notebook will be your lab report.
• Students are supposed to be involved in only the activity related to the lab in class. Working on other subjects or playing games are strictly forbidden in class. When a student is found to violate this rule, the lab report will be graded zero.
• Bring your own laptop to the lab. Students will use desktop computers in the classroom to acquire data, but you will need your own laptop to work on lab reports. You can even acquire data using your own laptop if you want to try it out. 

 

Assessment

 

Lab report (80%)

• Students are required to submit a completed lab report for each experiment online (submission instruction will be provided in detail later). Although students are allowed to work closely with partners on lab reports, every student should complete their own lab report by themselves. This means that you should run every single Mathematica code by yourself. Basically, you have to complete the lab report all by yourself other than sharing data and ideas with your partner. Submitting a copy of your partner's lab report is considered as "duplicate lab report" and both you and the partner's reports will get 50 points deduction.  
• In most cases, lab reports can be finished during the 3-hour lab session and students should try to do so.
• Lab reports will be graded on 100-points scale. Late lab reports will be deducted by 40 points. Reports are accepted only until the beginning of your next lab (e.g., if your lab starts at Monday 5:40 pm, the final submission deadline will be Monday 5:39 pm. Online submission link will be closed afterward). Lab reports not meeting the final deadline will be graded zero.
• Students are required to attend all the 10 weekly labs to pass the course. In the situation when students are to miss a lab session for excusable reasons, they should contact the instructor in advance to coordinate a replacement lab. A missed lab with NO EXCUSE will result in zero point for the lab. Missing three (3) labs with NO EXCUSE will result in failure (F grade) of the course. 

 

Pre-lab assignment (20%)

• Students are required to come to each lab prepared by working on Pre-lab assignment beforehand. Your Pre-lab assignment should be submitted electronically (link and instruction will be provided) before the lab (e.g., if you are in Monday 5:40 pm class, the submission is due Monday 5:39pm. Submission will be closed afterward). Pre-lab assignment will be graded either 'Satisfactory' (1 point) or 'Unsatisfactory' (zero point). 

 

Course scores will translate to letter grades as follows:

• 90-100 = A
• 85-90 = B+
• 80-85 = B
• 75-80 = C+
• 70-75 = C
• 60-70 = D
• Below 60 = F

 

Resources for student success

The faculty and staff at Rutgers are committed to your success. Students who are successful tend to seek out resources that enable them to excel academically, maintain their health and wellness, prepare for future careers, navigate college life and finances, and connect with the RU community. Helpful resources include the Rutgers Learning Centers and school-based advising (for SAS, SOE, SEBS, and RBS). Additional resources that can help you succeed and connect with the Rutgers community can be found at https://success.rutgers.edu .

 

Please visit the Rutgers Student Tech Guide for resources available to all students. If you do not have the appropriate technology for financial reasons, please email the Dean of Students (deanofstudents@echo.rutgers.edu ) for assistance. If you are facing other financial hardships please visit the Office of Financial Aid.

 

Academic integrity

Rutgers University takes academic dishonesty very seriously. By enrolling in this course, you assume responsibility for familiarizing yourself with the Academic Integrity Policy and the possible penalties (including suspension and expulsion) for violating the policy. As per the policy, all suspected violations will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to):

• Cheating
• Plagiarism
• Aiding others in committing a violation or allowing others to use your work
• Failure to cite sources correctly
• Fabrication
• Using another person’s ideas or words without attribution–re-using a previous assignment Unauthorized
• Collaboration
• Sabotaging another student’s work

If in doubt, please contact me. Also review the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Resources for Students.

 

Use of external website resources (such as Chegg.com or others) to obtain solutions to homework assignments or exams is cheating and a violation of the University Academic Integrity policy. Cheating in the course may result in grade penalties, disciplinary sanctions or educational sanctions. Posting homework assignments or exams to external sites without the instructor's permission may be a violation of copyright and may constitute the facilitation of dishonesty, which may result in the same penalties as cheating.

 

The Rutgers honor pledge will be included on all major assignments for you to sign: On my honor, I have neither received nor given any unauthorized assistance on this examination/assignment.

 

Almost all original work is the intellectual property of its authors. This includes not just books and articles, but the syllabi, lectures, slides, recordings, course materials, presentations, homework problems, exams, and other materials used in this course, in either printed or electronic form. You may not copy this work, post it online, or disseminate it in any way without the explicit permission of the instructor. Respect for an author’s efforts and intellectual property rights is an important value that members of the university community are expected to take seriously.

 

Student wellness services

The university provides a number of resources to support your physical and mental well-being. I list several valuable resources here and encourage you to contact me for more guidance about university resources.

 

Report a Bias Incident If you experience or witness an act of bias or hate, report it to someone in authority. You may file a report online and you will be contacted within 24 hours. The bias reporting page is here.

Bias is defined by the University as an act, verbal, written, physical, psychological, that threatens, or harms a person or group on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, atypical heredity or cellular blood trait, military service or veteran status.

Click here to report a bias incident

 

Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services (CAPS)

(848) 932-7884 / 17 Senior Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/

CAPS is a University mental health support service that includes counseling, alcohol and other drug assistance, and psychiatric services staffed by a team of professionals within Rutgers Health services to support students’ efforts to succeed at Rutgers University. CAPS offers a variety of services that include: individual therapy, group therapy and workshops, crisis intervention, referral to specialists in the community, and consultation and collaboration with campus partners.

Crisis Intervention: http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/crisis-intervention/

Report a Concern: http://health.rutgers.edu/do-something-to-help/

 

Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA)

(848) 932-1181 / 3 Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, http://vpva.rutgers.edu/

The Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance provides confidential crisis intervention, counseling and advocacy for victims of sexual and relationship violence and stalking to students, staff and faculty. To reach staff during office hours when the university is open or to reach an advocate after hours, call 848-932-1181.

 

Disability Services

(848) 445-6800 / Lucy Stone Hall, Suite A145, Livingston Campus, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, https://ods.rutgers.edu/

Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with a Letter of Accommodations. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form on the ODS web site at: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/getting-registered