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Printable Syllabus

Phys 124 Lab Schedule

Sample Abstract

Abstract Grading Guide

Current Grade Status

 

 

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Uncertainty in Measurement	1: 2: 3: 4: 5:
One Dimensional Kinematics
Vector Addition
Projectile Motion
Newton's Second Law
Ballistic Pendulum
Momentum Conservation in 2D
Rotational Inertia
The Simple Pendulum

What am I doing here? In this course we will be doing experiments to examine the physical world around us. The emphasis here is threefold:  

1)       To understand the methods (including equipment, mathematics, limitations, and philosophy) that we use to investigate the physical world.

2)       To reinforce the concepts discussed in Analytical Physics I.

3)       To learn to communicate the above two items clearly and succinctly.

 

In this lab, “getting the right answers” is not your highest priority.

Grading Policy: Throughout the semester you will complete eight experiments; some will take more than one week to complete. You will be expected to write-up some form of analysis of your data for every experiment you do. Although experiments are performed as teams, each student is required to submit his or her own unique report. The requirements for the report will vary from week to week, but will often be in the form of an abstract (see page 7 of your lab manual). You will also be required to generate and submit plots for many of your experiments. Each report will be due at the beginning of lab the following week. Late work will be penalized 20% per day.  

For any of you who will become professional scientists (whether in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, etc.), you will learn that your professional recognition (and salary) are based to a large degree on how well you can communicate the work you do. As a result, your grade for each abstract will be based on your decisions about writing: what you choose to include and exclude, your clarity and brevity, and your grammar and spelling. Writing a good abstract is extremely difficult, and will require a significant investment of time each week. Good abstracts require revision over time, and cannot be written in a single session.

You are welcome to get advice on abstracts during Monday office hours, but not on Wednesdays. If you do, I will not write or rewrite your abstract for you. Instead, I will offer oral comments about the writing you show me when you arrive.  

 

Your lab grade for the semester will be based on the following:

A Few Tips on Writing Abstracts 

An abstract is a short summary of the things that you did during the experiment.

 

§    As far as the abstract is concerned, the lab manual doesn’t exist. You may not implicitly or explicitly refer to the lab manual. Pretend that you are writing for someone who has never done or even heard about the experiment.

§    Shorter is better. Reread your abstract a day after it has been written. If the abstract would be just as clear without any particular word or sentence, remove it. The presence of useless text is the greatest problem in most abstracts. In general, as an abstract gets longer, the grade will get lower.

§    Use the past tense.

§    Avoid superfluous phrases such as “To do this…,” or “In this lab…,” or “To get started…,” etc.

You should read the sample abstract for the Hooke’s Law experiment, and review it every week before writing your own abstract. Without exception, good writing occurs in drafts. You should write your abstract the day after lab, and re-read it and correct it a day or two after that. There is absolutely no excuse for spelling or grammatical errors. Finally, you must have someone else proofread it. This should be someone who has never participated in this lab; that way, your proofreader can check not only grammar, but can also tell you whether your writing even makes sense to a non-specialist. If, after reading your abstract, your proofreader can’t tell you what it all means, then you have some changes to make.

There is no exact “formula” for writing good abstracts. However, most abstracts include:

 

=     A statement of purpose (1 sentence). Approach the labs as though they have never been done before, by anyone. In an abstract, your purpose is never “so we could learn about force”.  Instead, your purpose is usually to measure a certain quantity.

=     A brief description of the experimental technique, equipment, and procedure used (2 or 3 sentences). Writing this so that it is both correct and brief is extremely difficult.

=     A discussion of the analysis you performed (about 2 sentences), especially the methods used.

=     A summary of the important results (usually 1 sentence), including numerical values for your uncertainty.

=     Conclusions (1 sentence). Was the statement of purpose (see above) fulfilled? You may not use any sentence similar to: “This lab was successful”. You should identify the largest source of uncertainty. The ever-present “human error” is never acceptable; if you make a blatant error in measurement, you are required to repeat the measurement.

Abstracts never include equations, plots, or other figures. 

Making Plots

Often, you’ll also be required to submit a printout of a plot of your data. A plot usually portrays some data on a vertical axis vs. some data on a horizontal axis (never the other way around). All plots should be professional in appearance, and include:

 

=     Your name.

=     A name or title for the plot.

=     Clearly labeled axes, using correct symbols in appropriate fonts and font sizes. The labels should include the appropriate units. It is almost never true that the horizontal axis is “x”. Get over it.  

=     No legends, unless there is more than one set of data shown. In any case, “series 1” is never an acceptable legend.

=     If you use a “trendline”, review and correct the symbols in the equation it displays. Again, it is almost never true that the horizontal axis is “x”. Change it to the correct symbol!