A.  Choice of Experiment

All students are to complete two experiments.  Some experiments are challenging while others are more routine.  Typically, the first experiment is the more difficult because of lack of familiarity with the available equipment and procedures.  The first experiment is good preparation for the second experiment. The experiments are flexible by design and allow students considerable latitude.  Operation manuals for all the laboratory equipment are available in the laboratory.

 Each student will discuss with the instructor the experiment he/she has chosen to perform. The purpose of the discussion is to identify appropriate measurement goals and provide the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice on how to get started.  The papers referenced in the Graduate Laboratory Handbook are an important source of information about the experiments. 

B.  Schedule

 A written schedule for performing the chosen experiment and preparing the report will be established by each student in consultation with the instructor. The schedule should take into account the time necessary for deciding on the equipment that is needed, assembling and setting up the equipment, testing and calibrating the equipment and acquiring and analyzing, and interpreting the data.  The schedule should take into consideration the physical foundation of the experiment, the available equipment, and experimental uncertainties.  An estimate of the accuracy and precision of the expected results should be made.  Familiarity with the equipment is useful in making a realistic schedule.  Sufficient time should be allotted for the preparation of the report.  While report conclusions cannot be written before the experiment is finished and the data analysis complete, much of the other sections can be written during the course of the experiment.  In this way the report can be finished on time without the need for heroic last minute efforts.  During the course of the experiment, it may be necessary to modify the schedule to take into account unanticipated events.  This is usual and contingency time should be built into the schedule. 

 1.  Performing the Experiment

Most time will be spent getting familiar with the experiment, setting up apparatus, and testing and calibrating equipment.  

Taking data once the apparatus is operating correctly is generally the easiest and fastest part of the experimental work.  Analysis of preliminary data should be done as soon as possible in order to make informed decisions on parameter choices or changes for successive data collection. It is essential to demonstrate and explain the working experiment to the instructor.  Experiments should be performed with the goal of obtaining the best possible results, subject to the constraints of time and equipment. 

2.  Progress

There will be weekly individual discussions with the instructor.  These discussions help to focus efforts and provide advice when there are questions and difficulties. 

3.  Experiment Demonstration

Near the end of each experiment, each student will demonstrate the operation of the experiment to the instructor and teaching assistant.  This presentation should last between 15 and 20 minutes and should include demonstration of the signals that are being measured, where possible.  

C.    Laboratory Reports

Separate written laboratory reports for each experiment will be due at the end of each experiment as noted in the schedule for the course.  These reports should contain a description of procedures, tables and graphs showing results, and a discussion explaining the results.  Unless prior arrangements are made with the staff, late reports will be subject to a penalty of 1/2 point (out of a maximum grade of 12 points) per day late. Stylistic and formatting guidelines for writing the report are detailed in the introductory section of the Graduate Laboratory Handbook.  The laboratory reports should consist of four sections; Introduction, Experimental Procedure, Results, and Discussion and Conclusions.   

The Introduction should contain a clear statement of the purpose of the experiment.  Relevant theory should be included in this section.  Detailed derivations are not necessary.

The Experimental Procedure should contain all the information required to reproduce the experiment as it was done in the laboratory.  A list of components and equipment along with schematic diagrams should be part of this section.  The measurement procedures should be clearly described and the choice of parameters on various instruments justified.

The experimental data form the Results section.  Effective presentation of data is an essential skill for scientists.  Data are routinely presented in tables and graphs.  When tables are used, columns should be clearly labeled with units.  Graphs should have both axes clearly labeled.  Each figure or table should have a descriptive caption.  It should be possible to look at a figure and discern its meaning without reading the body of the text.  Do not substitute a screen dump for a figure.  Experimental data should be presented with estimates of errors or uncertainties.  The errors can be systematic as well as random and can be due to limitations of the measuring instruments as well as uncertainties in the values of the experimental components.  Temperature effects can cause the results to deviate from the expected values.  A discussion of the errors should accompany the data.  It is not necessary to include component specification sheets, but reference to them should be given where appropriate.

The Discussion and Conclusions section should contain comparisons between the predicted and measured properties of the system under investigation.  Conclusions should be based on comparisons of the data with calculations based on the theory of the phenomena investigated. Suggestions for improving the experiment and applications of the results can be included in this section.  Clarity rather than length or complexity is the goal of the reports.  It should be possible to reproduce your results from the information in the report.

Scientific publications are most often subject to peer review, therefore each student will review the report of a fellow student and is encouraged to make constructive comments that address both content and style of the report. Students have the opportunity to incorporate changes in their manuscript before handing it in.

Each of the four sections of the report will be graded on a scale from 0 to 3 where a grade of 3 means that the section fully met the criteria listed above, and a grade of 0 means that none of the criteria were met.  The maximum grade for a report is 12.  It is essential for the report to be well organized, neat, clear, complete and with no misspellings nor errors in syntax.

D.    Laboratory Notebook

Each student must have a bound laboratory notebook in which all data and descriptive information about each experiment are recorded. The notebook is the detailed record of the experiment.  Learning to keep a research notebook is an important skill and is essential for experimental work.  Notes and calculations on separate pieces of paper are not permitted. The notebook should be a "Computation Book" with large 9 1/2" x 11 5/8" numbered quadrille pages or equivalent.  Similar looking laboratory notebooks with white and yellow pages that tear out easily are not to be used.  The laboratory notebook must have a Table of Contents in the first pages to aid in locating the different experiments and the important parts of each of the experiments.  It should be possible to reconstruct the experiment from the information in the laboratory notebook.  All entries in the notebook are to be dated and made with pen, not pencil.  Errors should be crossed out with a single line rather than erased or obliterated.  Often an incorrect calculation or measurement will contain information that is useful later on. The notebook entries should include, but not be limited to experiment design, preliminary calculations, estimates of uncertainties, description and characteristics of the instruments, calibration data, procedures, preliminary data, and final data as well as details on data analysis.  The information in the notebook should allow another experimenter to reproduce the experimental set up and obtain data from it comparable to the data recorded.  Explanations and narrative along with the data and notes are important for orienting the reader.  The notebooks will be graded at the end of each experiment: mid-way through the semester and at the end of the semester.