Physics 401: Classical Physics Laboratory
Course objectives:
Physics 401 is a one semester course intended to give students an introduction to basic laboratory techniques in the context of classical mechanics and electromagnetism. The course consists of a one-hour lecture and a 4-hour lab-period per week.
The primary goal of the
course is to introduce students to basic concepts in experimental physics
including:
Ø
acquire
basic concepts related to the experiments
Ø
become
familiar with modern experimental instrumentation
Ø
learn how to
make reliable measurements
Ø
understand
the precision of a measurement
Ø
learn how to
do calculations with proper significant figures
Ø
learn how to
do data analysis and graphical analysis
Ø
learn how to
write a laboratory report
Ø
learn the
advantages and limitations of computers in experiments
Ø
learn how to
approach an experiment systematically.
The topics covered include:
A. Instrumentation
1. Oscilloscopes
2. Digital multi-meters
3. Signal generators
4. Data acquisition hardware
5. Synchronous detection using lock-in amplifiers
B. Data Analysis/Acquisition
Software
1.
Origin
2. Mathematica
C. Data Analysis Techniques
1. Statistical and error analysis
2. Frequency and time domain analysis
D. Measurements
The experiments are intended
to cover a diverse set of topics including:
1. Measurements of systems that exhibit linear response
i. RLC circuits
ii. Torsional oscillator
2. Time and frequency domain measurements
i. Fourier analysis of pulses
ii. Pulses in transmission lines
3. Electromagnetic Phenomena
i. Studies with microwaves
ii. Measurement of magnetic fields
iii. Response of magnetic materials to
time-varying fields
iv. Measurement of electronic charge
Announcements:
·
Data analysis should be done using the OriginLab software package.
Origin is free for you to download from webstore (http://webstore.uiuc.edu) with a valid NetID and password. The file is
229MB in size – so a fast connection is recommended.
·
There will be no lecture Mon. Jan.21 due to MLK Holiday. The lab
scheduled for this week WILL take place. Handouts for the second lab will be
handed during your first weeks lab section.
·
Origin 7.5 tutorial - download
·
There are revised error analysis instructions for Millikan Oil Drop
Experiment. See experiment schedule for download file.
Class
Policy:
- Before you come to the lab,
- study the laboratory handout carefully. Your learning experience
critically depends on being well prepared prior to the laboratory
sessions! Solid preparation is also the most efficient approach to a
laboratory and will save significant amount of time in carrying out the
analysis and writing laboratory reports.
·
You will have
one lab partner for each experiment. You are expected to rotate partners for
every new experiment.
·
Most of your
reports are individually written. You are encouraged to share data with your partner
and discuss the lab, however, the individual reports must be your own work. Two
of the longer reports will be turned as a joint report. Here, you and your
partner should divide the work equally and turn in one document. Both
individuals will receive the same grade for joint reports. This is intended to
ease workload and to promote discussion.
- Keep two laboratory notebooks. Your laboratory notebook is your record of your work in the lab.
Use one notebook for the first, third, fifth etc. labs, and the
other for the second, fourth, sixth etc. labs. Your laboratory
notebook is handed in with your laboratory report. While your laboratory
instructor is grading your report, you will use the other laboratory
notebook for your work during the lab.
- The laboratory notebook must be a bound ruled notebook.
- The laboratory report is due at the beginning of the laboratory
session. It will be graded and returned to you the following week in your
laboratory session. Thus, you have one week to write a laboratory report following
the last session of a given lab.
- Do not miss any laboratory or
lecture.
- If you somehow miss a laboratory, consult with your laboratory
instructor immediately to do the lab in another laboratory session during
the week. Laboratory setups are changed the Friday prior to the start of a
new lab – no makeups will be allowed.
- Late labs will receive 20% deducted every week that it is late.
- You have two vouchers which entitle you to turn in two lab up to
one week late without penalty.
Consult with your instructors for any
problems regarding your reports, laboratory schedule, etc. You may email, call
and/or drop in to resolve your problems as soon as possible.
Excused absences follow the same criteria as
Physics 211 excused absences. One of the lab sessions is full, but it may
be possible to do a lab in a session with empty seats, with permission of the
instructor and the lab TA.
Your grades are posted in the gradebook.
Staff:
|
|
Name |
Office Hours |
Phone |
e-mail |
|
Lecturer |
Raffi Budakian |
Friday |
Office: 333-3065 |
|
|
Laboratory Instructor |
Parag Ghosh |
Monday 4:00 – 5:00 PM ESB 6103 |
Office: 333-5224 |
|
|
Laboratory Instructor |
Kevin Mantey |
Wednesday 5:00 – 6:00 PM ESB 6103 |
Office: 333-0509 |
|
|
Laboratory Instructor |
|
Tuesday 12:00 – 1:00 PM ESB 6103 |
Office: 333-4803 |
|
|
Laboratory Technician |
|
None |
office: 333-2208 |
|
|
Technical Assistant |
Eugene Kolla LSI 290A |
None |
office: 333-5772 |
LLP = Loomis Laboratory of Physics LSI = Loomis-Seitz Interpass ESB =
Report
Structure
All reports
should be prepared using a word processor. Refer to the report preparation
guideline for instructions on how to prepare your reports. Click here to download guideline.
Lecture and Laboratory Schedule:
|
|
Day |
Instructor |
Time |
Room |
|
Lecture |
Monday |
Raffi Budakian |
1:00-1:50 PM |
158 LLP |
|
Section L1 |
Tuesday |
Parag Ghosh |
1:00 - 4:50 PM |
ESB 6103 |
|
Section L2 |
Wednesday |
|
1:00 - 4:50 PM |
ESB 6103 |
|
Section L3 |
Thursday |
Kevin Mantey |
1:00 - 4:50 PM |
ESB 6103 |
Experiment Schedule
|
Week of |
No. Weeks |
Lab Title |
Collaboration |
Point value |
|
Jan. 14 |
1 |
Introduction to Oscilloscope, function generator and
digital multi-meter (DMM) - download Error Analysis – download Laboratory Reports for Physics 401 – download Sample Report - download |
--- |
--- |
|
Jan. 21 |
1 |
Transients in RLC circuits – download |
Individual Report |
100 |
|
Jan. 28 |
1 |
Frequency domain analysis of linear circuits using
synchronous detection – download SR830 Lock-in Manual - download |
Individual Report |
100 |
|
Feb. 4 |
1 |
Pulses in transmission lines - download Class notes - download |
Individual Report |
100 |
|
Feb. 11 |
1 of 2 |
Millikan Oil Drop Experiment / Week 1 - download |
--- |
--- |
|
Feb. 18 |
2 of 2 |
Millikan Oil Drop Experiment / Week 2 Revised Error Analysis Instructions - download |
Individual Report |
100 |
|
Feb. 25 |
1 of 2 |
Torsion Oscillator / Week 1 - download class notes - download |
--- |
--- |
|
Mar. 3 |
2 of 2 |
Torsion Oscillator / Week 2 class notes - download |
Joint Report |
150 |
|
Mar. 10 |
1 |
Hall Probe Measurement of Magnetic Fields |
Individual Report |
100 |
|
Mar. 17 |
--- |
Spring Break |
--- |
--- |
|
Mar. 24 |
1 of 2 |
Qualitative Studies with Microwaves / Week 1 - download |
--- |
--- |
|
Mar. 31 |
2 of 2 |
Microwave Cavities / Week 2 - download |
Joint Report |
150 |
|
April 7 |
1 of 3 |
Final Project – AC Measurement of Magnetic
Susceptibility / Week 1 |
--- |
--- |
|
April 14 |
2 of 3 |
Final Project – AC Measurement of Magnetic
Susceptibility / Week 2 |
--- |
--- |
|
April 21 |
3 of 3 |
Final Project – AC Measurement of Magnetic
Susceptibility / Week 3 |
Individual Report |
300 |
|
April 28 |
|
|
|
|
|
May 5 |
|
May 1:
Reading Day May 2 – 9: Final Exams May 11: Commencement Final project due the of scheduled finals for P401
by 4 PM in MRL 106 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total = 1100 Pnts. |
General
Information:
Error Analysis: 
This is a short discussion on error
analysis. Along with the Laboratory Report
Guide, it will provide information on how to analyze your
data. There are excellent discussions of expressing uncertainty by NIST as well as
on statistics
and probability
from LBL.
Laboratory report guide:
This short and concise note discusses how to
write your report and some explanation of error propagation.
Experiments:
Measurement of the electronic
charge by the "Millikan" oil drop method 
One of the most important physical
quantities is the magnitude of the electronic charge, e. The first precision measurement
of the value of e was accomplished by the American physicist, Robert A.
Millikan (1868-1953), who in 1911 reported the results of his oil drop
experiment, done at the
Frequency
and Time Domain Analysis RLC Circuits and Transmission Lines
Part I: Frequency Domain Spectroscopy
Understanding the frequency response of
physical systems ranging from single atoms to complex condensed matter systems,
e.g. metals, insulators, superconductors and ferromagnets, is essential to
understanding the physics of the underlying interactions. In this lab we will
learn about two widely used techniques for the characterizing frequency
response, (1) frequency domain (FD) spectroscopy and (2) time domain (TD)
spectroscopy. The techniques will be applied to characterize the frequency
response of simple linear circuits. In part I of the lab, you will investigate
the dynamics of resonant RLC circuits and RC filters using lock-in detection.
Part II: Time Domain Spectroscopy
In part II of the lab, you will apply time
domain (TD) analysis of complex impedance and compare your findings with FD
measurement.
The Torsional Oscillator 
This is a two week lab to study the
transient and driven response of a torsional oscillator.
During the first week, you will investigate
(1) the transient solutions of a mechanical oscillator; and (2) other forms of
dissipation besides viscous damping or the linear form found in RLC circuits.
This experiment will reinforces the concepts from Transients in RLC Circuits. Although, in general, it is more
difficult to carry out a mechanical study of resonance, there are several
advantages. The motion can be directly observed and studied. There is no need
for an oscilloscope. Changes in mass, moment of inertia or spring constant are
more obvious than changes in inductance or capacitance. Phase shifts can be
seen. Different forms of dissipation can be created and studied. In addition to
magnetic damping, which is like the effect of an electrical resistance in an
RLC circuit, Coulomb (or dry) friction occurs in mechanical systems. The
magnitude of Coulomb friction is independent of velocity. Also, turbulent
dissipation can be studied. Turbulent friction is found in the motion of air
around a fast moving car or in the motion of water around a boat. Such
dissipation can increase as the square (or larger) power of speed.
In the second week, you will study both the
transient and steady state behavior of a driven harmonic oscillator.
Understanding the driven harmonic oscillator is the way to understand many
physical systems. The same basic equations apply to electrical circuits,
optical absorption, and even the stability of your car. The associated
phenomenon of resonance provides a valuable tool for physical measurements. By
studying the resonant frequency, line width, strength, phase, and line shape of
a resonance we can carry out precise measurements of the motion of a nucleus of
an atom (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) or the stability of a space ship. The
driven torsional oscillator can demonstrate all these characteristics in a
quantitative fashion. There are several phenomena that can be measured during a
limited amount of lab time such as phase and line shape as well as transient
"beats" and the steady state response as a function of frequency
using viscous, magnetic damping.
Experiment 67: Hall Probe
Measurement of Magnetic Fields
Whereas no convenient technique exists for
measuring arbitrary electric fields , several techniques are available for the
practical measurement of magnetic fields . These include the observation of the
force exerted on a current-carrying wire, the emf induced in a rotating coil,
the frequency at which certain atomic or nuclear systems exhibit resonant
absorption, and the Hall voltage induced in a current-carrying conductor. The
latter technique utilizing the Hall effect has the advantages of requiring only
a very small probe and very simple instrumentation. During this laboratory, you
will become acquainted with the characteristics of the Hall probe. A gaussmeter
is an instrument that is designed to measure the magnetic field using a Hall
probe. At the later part of this experiment, you will use a commercial
gaussmeter to study the magnetic field distributions produced by both a Helmholtz
coil and a solenoid.
As part of this two week experiment you will
use a Hall probe to map out the field configuration from distributed current
sources as well as from arrangement of permanent magnets.
Part
I: 
Part
II: In this section, you will
construct and measure the field for several Halbach magnet geometries. The
description of the measurement is given here.
There is a Mathematica notebook to assist you in the field calculations. Click here
to download the Mathematica notebook. In addition, I have included a reference
that discusses Halbach magnet geometries. Click here for the reference.
Study
of Electromagnetic Wave Phenomena Using Microwaves
Part I:
Experiment 34: Qualitative
Studies of Microwaves 
The purpose of a set of 6 experiments is to
acquaint the student with the properties of electromagnetic waves. These 6 set
of experiments are : (1) wavelength measurement; (2) standing waves
measurement; (3) polarization; (4) microwave Michelson interferometer; (5)
total internal reflection; (6) Bragg diffraction. Microwaves are well suited
for this purpose because the wavelength and the dimensions of the apparatus are
convenient for bench use. Properties of the radiation, such as its polarization
and its reflection by various materials, can also be demonstrated directly and
simply. The lab setup is based on the Lectronic Research Labs Microwave
Training Kit . This kit provides a convenient source of microwaves with a
wavelength of about 3.5 cm.
Experiment 44: Microwave Cavities
The purpose of this experiment is to
investigate the various properties of a rectangular microwave cavity. A 3-cm
low power microwaves are used (1) to measure wavelength of the microwaves using
a slotted line, (2) to determine the cavity resonances, (3) to investigate the
magnetic field direction and coupling inside the cavity, (4) to study the
nature of the electric field distribution inside the cavity, and, (5) to
determine the cavity quality factor Q.
Final Project – AC
Measurement of Magnetic Susceptibility
Supporting
Material: SR830 Manual, Magnetism-Craik, Magnetic Properties Data Sheets
Tutorials
and lectures:
Transients in RLC Circuit
Powerpoint slides of a Physics 112 lecture
on complex impedance in AC circuits written by
Professor James N. Eckstein of our department.
Physics 112 Complex
Impedance Lecture
Transmission line
Simulation of signal at load and reflected signal
from various terminations used in the transmission line experiment.
Fourier Analysis
Excel workbooks on the Fourier decomposition
of a square wave and a triangle
wave written by Professor Steve Errede of out department.
Lecture on discrete
Fourier transform written by Dr. John Cimbala of the Department of
Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department of Pennsylvania State University.
Fourier Transforms,
DFTs and FFTs
Practical guide to the Excel FFT function
including a discussion of its normalization and an Excel file showing the FFT
of the free decay of the damped oscillator and pure sine waves.
Excel worksheet to accompany the guide to
the Excel FFT function.
The Fourier transforms of a symmetric triangle
wave and a 50% duty factor square wave have no even harmonics. The reason is
often misunderstood. Why no even
harmonics discusses this point.
Torsional Oscillator
Powerpoint slides of fall, 2000 Physics 225
lectures on damped, driven harmonic oscillator, Fourier
analysis, and impulse response methods written by Professor James E.
Wiss of our department.
Physics 325 Damped Harmonic Oscillator
Lecture
Physics 325 Damped, Driven Harmonic Oscillator
Lecture
Physics 325 Periodic Driving Forces
Lecture
Physics 325 Impulse Methods Lecture
Powerpoint slides showing
various equivalent definitions of the Q of
an oscillator
Millikan Oil Drop
Note on derivation of some formulas in
Millikan oil drop experiment and note on error analysis in Millikan oil drop
experiment
Error analysis for Millikan oil drop
experiment
Excel templates for analysis of Millikan oil
drop experiment.
Rise and fall time analysis for Millikan
oil drop experiment
Charge quantization and magnitude
analysis for Millikan oil drop experiment
Server
Information about the
server, Phyaplportal, and Netfiles is here.