summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/unused_chapters/intro.tex
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorEugeniy Mikhailov <evgmik@gmail.com>2013-09-13 21:15:50 -0400
committerEugeniy Mikhailov <evgmik@gmail.com>2013-09-13 21:16:59 -0400
commitc066f70fdfee3b8f0f26def3f29acfbfed4ef63e (patch)
tree33b1eb265d61b919c62f2ac934cfd8036a61fc23 /unused_chapters/intro.tex
parentf7333bda346e3bb1a68de0a0517e9c3a118c0764 (diff)
downloadmanual_for_Experimental_Atomic_Physics-c066f70fdfee3b8f0f26def3f29acfbfed4ef63e.tar.gz
manual_for_Experimental_Atomic_Physics-c066f70fdfee3b8f0f26def3f29acfbfed4ef63e.zip
chapters now compiles separately as well via subfiles package
unused chapters moved to separate folder
Diffstat (limited to 'unused_chapters/intro.tex')
-rw-r--r--unused_chapters/intro.tex145
1 files changed, 145 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/unused_chapters/intro.tex b/unused_chapters/intro.tex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3ca846
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unused_chapters/intro.tex
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+\chapter*{Introduction}
+\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{Introduction}
+ Welcome to Experimental Atomic Physics Laboratory! What is
+ this class all about? In this class you will learn more
+ details about how experimental physics is done. The
+ experiments you do here will help you further learn the
+ concepts you are being introduced to in Physics 201, Modern
+ Physics. You will learn by doing. You will learn about the
+ scientific process and be introduced to what it takes to be a
+ physicist. Hopefully, you will have fun too! You will be doing
+. some experiments which are very fundamental, some of which
+ have won the Nobel Prize!
+
+The goals of this class are to:
+
+\begin{enumerate}
+\item Gain understanding of physical principles.
+\item Become familiar with the setup of experimental equipment, how to
+ use equipment, and how to make measurements.
+\item Learn how to analyze your data, determine the error in your data,
+how to graph data and how to fit the data to a curve to extract parameters.
+\item Learn how to draw conclusions from your data.
+\item Learn how to keep a scientific journal.
+\item Learn how to approach a problem
+\item Learn to communicate your findings to other people in a way which is
+clear and concise.
+\end{enumerate}
+
+Some or most of these principles you were introduced to in Physics
+Laboratory 101. How is this class different? The experiments you will
+do are taking you a step closer to the work that actual physicsist do
+in the laboratory. You will be repeating some very fundamental,
+complex experiments through which physical principles were discovered.
+You will be carrying out the steps required to do experimental
+physics: setup equipment, make measurements, record data, analyze
+data, draw conclusions and communicate your findings in a scientific
+report. You may say, well, I am only going to be a theorist, or a
+banker, why should I care about experimental physics? Well, atleast
+you should learn about the scientific process so that when you hear
+about some major scientific discovery you can judge its merit. In this
+way you will learn what it takes to extract a physical principle from
+an experiment, so you understand how scientists make the connections
+that they do, and what the limitations are to scientific
+experimentation.
+
+This laboratory manual briefly summarizes the principles of general
+laboratory practice, treatment of error and curve fitting, how to
+write a laboratory report, and then each of the laboratories you will
+be conducting this semester. Please read the chapter on the experiment
+you will do before you do the actual experiment.
+
+
+\section*{General Laboratory Practices}
+
+\begin{enumerate}
+\item When conducting your experiments- be safe! You will be using
+ equipment which poses some hazards, such as lasers and high-voltage
+ power supplies. Listen to the safety instructions and heed
+ them. Also, if a piece of equipment isn’t working even after you
+ have followed all the instructions, be careful what you fiddle
+ with! Some fiddling is good, but if you are planning to do anything
+ major (like take a piece of equipment apart), it is best to ask an
+ instructor first. Also, it is generally good lab practice not to
+ eat or drink in the lab. It keeps crumbs and liquid out the
+ equipment, and prevents you from eating or drinking something you
+ didn’t intend to.
+
+
+\item Keep a good laboratory book and record your data and the steps you
+ take! It is recommended you buy a separate notebook to keep as a
+ laboratory journal. Don’t scribble inledigbly on pieces of scrap
+ paper you will only lose later. When conducting an experiment,
+ right down what you did, how you setup the equipment and if
+ anything unusual happened. Write down data in a neat and organized
+ way. The goal is to read and understand what you did after you
+ leave the laboratory. Don’t think this is trivial! Major scientific
+ discoveries were made because of some anomaly in data, which
+ scientists were able to exactly repeat because they had recorded
+ exactly what they did! If you are a research scientist in a
+ corporation and you make a discovery like this and couldn’t repeat
+ the conditions under which it was found- you would be in big
+ trouble!
+
+\item Related to the last point: don’t leave this laboratory for the day
+without making sure you understand your data. You won’t be able to go
+back and redo the experiment- so it is best to check your data and
+make sure it is reasonable. 4. +Do not fudge data! If your data is
+off and you admit it and speculate why it is off, you will be given
+credit for this. Everyone has a bad day. Forging data not only breaks
+the Honor Code but is also a very, very bad habit which can have
+serious consequences in the future. Some sceintists have been tempted
+under pressure to do this. Those who did were usually found out and
+the ramifications are very serious. Not only does it hurt society, but
+the scientists found doing this ruined their careers. See the book, “”
+for further discussion of this problem.
+
+\item Treatment of errors/curve
+fitting
+
+\item How to Write a Lab Report
+
+\framebox{You are not writing a laboratory report just for a grade! It is
+important that you learn how to communicate your findings. In reading
+your report, someone should be able to understand: your hypothesis or
+theory, 1) how you did the experiment, 2) what equipment you used 3)
+did anything unusual happen? conditions? data – in table and graph
+form, analysis you did, conclusions, If anything strange happened-
+mention it! If someone cannot tell what you did or gather useful
+information, your paper is worthless!}
+
+\begin{description}
+
+\item[TITLE OF EXPERIMENT]
+\item[LIST PARTNERS by name]
+
+\end{description}
+
+
+The components of your laboratory report shall include:
+
+\begin{description}
+\item[INTRODUCTION]: Briefly state objective(s) of experiment
+\item[THEORY]: Introduce important equations or at least restate in
+your own words;
+ Specify any "Working Eqs.", defining the variables involved.
+\item[PROCEDURES] :
+ Describe in terms of equipment and layout diagrams,
+ Describe important steps in producing data,
+ Describe variables to be measured.
+\item[DATA / ANALYSIS TABLES]:
+ Present data in spreadsheet form (rows \& columns which are
+clearly defined).
+ Analyzed results can be listed in the same spreadsheet.
+\item[DATA ANALYSIS]: Carry out explicit "sample calculations" to show how
+results are produced
+Results can appear in DATA / ANALYSIS TABLES
+\item[CONCLUSIONS]: Conclusions should be developed; attempt to put them in
+quantitative terms
+
+\end{description}
+\end{enumerate}
+
+\fbox{this is some text.}
+\newpage
+