Principles of Physics III (PHYS-103L)

This course covers basic principles of mechanics without calculus, and gives you the chance to practice some of your physics concepts hands-on, as well as develop and understand the necessity of good experimental technique, tools we all use as we make discoveries and advances in science-based fields.

While working through the lab, you and your lab partners will each fill out a guided worksheet/report that you will keep and use as a study guide for later parts of the course. Once you have completed the report, your instructor will give your group a short oral quiz to see that you have understood all aspects of the experiment. If your answers are not satisfactory, the instructor will give suggestions and possibly have you redo parts of the exercise until you have a 100% score on the lab. Arriving late will result in a 15% deduction from your final lab score. Although you will work with a group in the lab and share data, your answers on your worksheet should reflect your own ideas and understanding.

Labs:

  1. Inverse Square Law
  2. Refraction in Water
  3. Lenses
  4. Human Vision
  5. Diffraction Patterns
  6. Photoelectric Effect
  7. Spectroscopy
  8. Radioactive Decay