Physics 275 Course Description

What the course is about:

Physics 275 is the second course in the introductory lab course sequence Physics 174-275-276. The course is intended for physics, science and engineering students who desire a more rigorous introduction to experimental science. Experiments are mainly chosen in the general area of mechanics. A major component of the course is understanding the theory and applications of error analysis at an introductory level. The Lab meets for four hours each week in Room 3203 of the Physics Building.

Web Site: http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Colleges/CMPS/Depts/Physics/Courses/

then go to Phys 275, Spring 2002 There are three lab sections
 
Lab section  Day  Time  Instructor  Teaching Asst 
0201  Monday  1:00-4:50 PM  Dr. Beise  B. Foster
0301  Tuesday  2:00-5:50 PM  Dr. Beise  S. Li
0101  Wednesday  2:00-5:50 PM  Dr. Boyd  TBA

Arriving late to class:

Classes at Maryland begin right on the hour. It is important that you arrive on time to Physics 275 so that you can get instructions for the lab and have time to finish. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you may not be allowed into the lab and will have to make it up during another section.

Instructors:

Prof. Elizabeth Beise

Office: Physics Bldg, Rm 2215B         Secretary:      Ms. Judy Myrick,Rm 2220
Phone: 405-6109                                phone: 405-6109
email: beise@physics.umd.edu             email: myrick@physics.umd.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Prof. Derek Boyd
Office: 1201 EnergyResearch Bldg
Phone: 405-5007
email: dboyd@glue.umd.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Teaching Assistants:
 
  Brendan Foster Su Li
Office Physics Bldg 4210 Physics Bldg 4219
Phone 5-6191 5-6073
Email bzf@physics.umd.edu suli@physics.umd.edu
Office Hours TBA TBA

Making Up Missed Labs: You should make every effort not to miss your regularly scheduled lab. If you miss your regular lab section, you should make that lab up by going to another section that week. It is very difficult to schedule makeup labs because of conflicts with other courses using the limited number of equipment stations.

Prerequisites: The prerequisites for the course are Physics 174 and Physics 171 (or 161).

Texts: "A Practical Guide to Data Analysis for Physical Science Students" by Lyons.
"Physics 275 Lab Manual" - Summer 2001 edition

* Grading

50% Spreadsheet Lab Report & Homework
20% Midterm
20% Final
10% Class Participation Missing one Lab (and not making it up) will cost one letter grade in your final grade.
Missing one homework set will cost one-half of a letter grade in your final grade.

Homework is assigned at the end of each Lab. You will turn your homework and any revisions to your lab by sending an Excel spreadsheet file as an e-mail attachment to TA. You can turn in your report and homework anytime during the week, but by no later than 6 PM on the Friday of the week in which you had the lab. Corrected homework should be available the following week.

* No credit will be given for late homework unless you are seriously ill and provide a written note from your physician

* General Comments on the Lab report and Homework: Finishing all the lab reports and homework sets is very important. If you can't completely finish a lab and homework set, it is still important to turn in what you do have. When you are working on your report or homework, feel free to discuss among yourselves to try to figure out what is going on. By all means get together in small groups and discuss. However, do not use these discussions as an excuse to copy someone else's report or homework solution, or let someone else copy yours. That is cheating and is strictly forbidden. It is also very self-defeating since the other part of your grade will come from tests. The right way to proceed is to first work through the report and problems by yourself and arrive at a definite answer. With this preparation you can then discuss intelligently with your colleagues and see if you have missed something essential. Of course, you can always ask one of your instructors.

One final thing, if you miss something fundamental in a lab or test, you will probably be assigned extra problems to solve until you master the concept.