Recitations/Labs

In our recitations:

you will:

In our labs:

you will:

  • learn physics relevant to microscopic and living systems;
  • use 21st century physics tools and software;
  • deal with data-rich environments; and
  • learn how to design your own experiment and interpret data.
  • The laboratories are held in a community lab style that will allow you to work together in groups of 4 students on experiments. More information on the community lab style, including information on how the labs will be graded can be found at this LABS LINK.

    Laboratories will cover 5 experiments, four of them lasting 2 weeks, one lasting 3 weeks. At the end of each experiment you will work in the lab to finish a laboratory report and present your findings (and ideas for followup experiments) to the other laboratory working groups.

    There will be pre-readings for some laboratories that you will be able to access through webassign just like the regular readings.

    The recitation sections will be group problem solving. Typically, you will work through an extended multi-part problem often with a biological context.

    Week of Recitation Lab Topic Pre-Lab Reading
    1/27 Introduction to Community Lab Style
    and survey
    2/3 How big is a worm? Lab 1: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos. Part 1: How do you quantify motion? ImageJ Download Instructions for Students
    Data Analysis with Excel
    Excel Quick Reference
    2/10 The cat and the antelope Lab 1: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
    Part 2: Can you learn biology from physical measurements?
    ImageJ Intro Pre-Reading
    ImageJ Quick Reference Sheet
    Technical Document Intro To ImageJ
    2/17 Thinking about forces for objects and systems Due to snow the previous week, Thursday sections (0101 and 0103) will run last week's lab (see 2/10 above); all other sections will only meet for recitation - see ELMS announcment for more details.
    2/24 The DNA Spring Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis. Technical Intro to Video Capture
    Due to EVEN MORE snow, the Monday labs will now occur after all the other labs. Note the date shift in the first column below
    3/4-3/10 Propelling a Paramecium Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis: Error Propagation Technical Intro to Error Propagation
    3/11-3/24 Electrical Forces
    Hydrogen Bonding
    Lab 3a: Observing Brownian Motion Tec Doc: Microscope Basics
    Quick Ref.: Video Capture
    Tec Doc: Histograms in Excel
    Tec Doc: ImageJ Autotracking
    3/25-3/31 Electrophoresis Lab 3b: Observing Brownian motion  
    4/1-4/7 Gas Properties
    Pressure Recitation
    Lab 3c: Exploring the Diffusion Constant
    4/8-4/14 Cell Polarization and Activation
    Signal Relay
    Lab 4: Competition between Brownian motion and directed forces Log-log Plots
    Powers and Exponents
    4/15-4/21 Hold the Mayo
    Estimating Capillaries
    Lab 4: Competition between Brownian motion and directed forces Log-log Plots: Why do we like them
    4/22-4/28 Energy Skate Park
    Lab 5: Motion and Work in living systems Please watch this video in preparation for lab
    4/29-5/5 Protein Folding
    Lab 5: Motion and Work in living systems Please watch this video in preparation for lab (if you didn't already)
    5/6-5/12 Temperature Regulation
    Makeup Labs and Surveys
    University of Maryland

    Contact

    A. Peel, E.F. Redish, A. Upadhyaya, and (mostly) K. Moore, April 15, 2014