Physics 1103
GENERAL PHYSICS
Fall 2000

 
Introduction

 

The laboratory accompanying the Physics 1103-1104 lecture course will allow you to explore physical phenomena familiar to you in everyday life, ranging from falling objects to sound waves to electronic circuits.  This laboratory will complement the material covered in the lecture part of the course and make the occasionally abstract concepts learned there more real to you.

Another objective of this laboratory is to introduce you to the "scientific method."  For these two hours each week (at the very least), you are a scientist!  The scientific method can be broken down into three steps:
1.  Think about what you know and draw hypotheses by guessing what you think might be the result of the experiment.
2.  Test your hypotheses by doing the experiment carefully.
3.  Think about your results and modify the experiment.

This does not mean that scientists do experiments over and over, but that they go through a process and then use what they've learned to modify the experiment in order to achieve the most accurate results.  Be creative and inventive when doing the experiments, but remember to be safe.

This laboratory will also help you to develop scientific written communication skills.  you will write laboratory reports following each experiment, recording the process and results of the experiment in a clear and concise way that others can readily understand.  You will also develop skills in presenting data in the form of graphs, tables, and calculations.  Click here for an outline of what is expected in a typical lab report.