PHYSICS LABORATORY I M - Z

Module FRONTAL TEACHING

 

This course is the first Laboratory and Statistics course that students take after enrolling in the Physics Bachelor Degree course.

The purpose of the course is to provide students with the basics of the experimental method and techniques for analyzing experimental data.

To achieve this goal, the number of hours the student attends the laboratory is 45 hours. During the execution of the experiences, the student is supervised by the lecturer and a tutor. In addition, the constant presence of the laboratory technician makes the experiences always usable and the instruments always functional.

At the end of the course the student will have:

• Ability of inductive and deductive reasoning
• Ability to assemble and fine-tune some basic experimental configurations, and to use scientific instruments for thermomechanical measurements
• Ability to perform a statistical analysis of experimental data.

Furthermore, in reference to  Dublin Descriptors, this course helps to acquire the following transversal skills:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Ability of inductive and deductive reasoning.
• Ability to describe a physical phenomenon in terms of scalar and vector fields.
• Ability to describe a problem in terms of suitable (algebraic, integral, or differential) relations among physical magnitudes through analytical or numerical methods
• Ability to assemble and fine-tune some basic experimental configurations, and to use scientific instruments for thermomechanical measurements
• Ability to perform a statistical analysis of experimental data

Applying knowledge and understanding

• Ability to apply one's knowledge to describe physical phenomena using scientific methods rigorously.
• Ability to plan or devise simple experiments and to perform a statistical analysis of the experimental data thereby obtained in all areas of interest of physics, including those with technological applications.

Making judgements

• Ability of critical reasoning
• Ability to select the most suitable methods to critically analyze, interpret, and describe experimental data.
• Ability to identify the predictions of a theory or of a model.
• Ability to estimate the accuracy of measurements, the linear character of an instrument's feedback, sensitivity and selectivity of the techniques under use.

Communication skills

• Ability to orally present scientific topics, with a suitable vocabulary and sufficient rigour, with attention to motivations and results.
• Ability to present scientific topics, in a written form, with a suitable vocabulary and sufficient rigour, with attention to motivations and results.

The teaching is divided into lectures, that will be held in the first part of the course, and experiments to do in the laboratory in the second part.
The frontal hours are dedicated to the measurement method, data analysis and statistical elements.  Exercises will be provided during head-hours to prepare students to carry out correctly the laboratory experiences they will undertake in the second part of the course.

7 ECTS (corresponding to 7 hours each) are dedicated to lessons in the classroom, for a total of 49 hours, 2 ECTS (corresponding to 30hours) are dedicated to exercise and 3ECTS (corresponding to 45hours) are dedicated to laboratory. The course, of 12 CFU, thus includes a total of 124 hours of teaching activities.

During the course, guided tours will be scheduled to the National Laboratories of the South and to the Research Institutes working at the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Basic knowledge of Mathematics (elements of analysis) and Physics 1.

It is useful, and therefore strongly recommended, to have passed the exams or to have studied Physics 1 and Mathematical Analysis

Attendance in the laboratory is mandatory.

Attendance to lectures is usually compulsory.

Attendance signatures are collected during the workshop.

The unjustified absence of more than 25% of laboratory exercises will exclude the student from the possibility of taking the exam in that academic year.
Classroom lessons are normally held 2 times a week, 3 hours each lesson.
The sessions in the Laboratory are normally held 2 times a week, 3 hours each session.

The course is 12 credits. 124 hours of teaching between classroom lectures, exercises and experiments carried out in the laboratory.

In particular, 49 hours of lectures are planned; 30 hours of statistical exercises and examples of laboratory reports and 45 hours of guided laboratory exercises which include both the description of different experiments in the laboratory and the taking and analysis of the data 

Analysis of the experimental data and statistics

• The Scientific Method
• The measurement of physical quantities. Definition (operational) of physical quantities and its measurement. Fundamental and derived quantities. Units of measurement and units of measurement systems: The International System.
• Presentation of the measures and significant digits. Read a formula and verify its correctness (dimensional analysis)
• Features of a measuring instrument
• Errors and / or uncertainties. Systematic and random errors.
• The total error in measurements, relative error, degree of precision.
• Measures single and / or multiple. The best estimate of the error (mode, median and mean)
• Random events, aleatorie- variables classical definition, relative frequency and axiomatic probability - Total probability, conditional probability, likely composed
• Statistical population - sampling - law of large numbers - mathematical expectation for discrete and continuous random variables - probability density - moments - central limit theorem
• Standard deviation, population standard deviation, and sample average.
•  Error propagation.
•  Representation of data: tables, diagrams and graphs.
• Histograms: discreetly to limit distribution.
• The distribution of Gaussian distribution as a limit for measures affected by random errors.
• The measure of a physical quantity influenced by random events and estimate of the expected value.
• The criterion of maximum likelihood.
•  Probability distributions: t-student, Gaussian, Binomial , Poisson and χ2-distribution distribution
• Test of chi-square.
• Graphic and functional relationships

Class exercises hours dedicated to: (30h classroom and in the laboratory)

• Description of measuring instruments: Caliper, Palmer
• Description of mechanical devices used to create an maintain vacuum
• Basics computer science and hardware
  
• Description of laboratory experiences 
• Statistic exercises
  

Laboratory experiments (45 hours ):

Inclined plane •  Fletcher and Atwood Machine Device • Simple pendulum • Physic Pendulum • Pendulum ball, spherometer • Pendulum on bow • Torsion Pendulum • Needle Maxwell • Springs • moment of inertia of a flywheel • rotational kinetic energy • scattering plane

Pycnometer • viscometer Ostwald • Tension • Venturi tube • Sedimentation.
Calorimeter mixtures of Regnault • Heat propagation in a homogeneous beam • Experience and Clement-Desorme s• Kundt Tube • Galton Quinconce

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

 

SUGGESTED TEXTS for Data Analysis, Statistics and Description of Experiments

1. J.R. Taylor: Introduzione all'analisi degli errori. Lo studio delle incertezze nelle misure fisiche,  Zanichelli
2. M. Loreti: Teoria degli Errori e Fondamenti di Statistica, Decibel, Padova
3. R. Bevington: Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
4. Roberto Piazza "I capricci del caso", Springer e Verlag, 2009
   
5. R. Ricamo: Guida alle Esperimentazioni di Fisica, Ed. Ambrosiana, Milano
6. E. Perucca: Fisica Generale e Sperimentale, UTET, Torino
7. F.Tyler: A Laboratory Manual of Physics E.Arnould, London
8. lecture slides

The students in the second semester will perform (in groups of 3 or 4 people) the data collection and analysis of some experiments present in the laboratory assisted by the teacher. Each group will be engaged in a number of laboratory experiments according to a timetable which will be available by the end of first term. The second period of teaching will also include the Galton experiment. The results will be discussed in classroom. The student on the exam will take an individual practical laboratory test on a selected experience among four (A1, A2, A3, A4) assigned by the teacher to his or her group from table A. On this experience he/she will deliver a report with a complete data analysis, will be discussed during the oral examination

Oral exam: it focuses on all the topics of the course and on the experiences explained by the teacher during the course, even if no experiments have been made on these. There will be a broad and detailed discussion on the report presented.

Table A

• Inclined plane
• Fletcher's apparatus
• Atwood machine
• Simple pendulum (small oscillations)
• Simple pendulum (large oscillations)
• Plane physical pendulum
• Spherical and arc pendulum
• Torsion pendulum
• Maxwell's needle
• Spring oscillations
• Moment of inertia of a flywheel
• Rotational kinetic energy
• Scattering plane

Table B

• Regnault's mixture calorimeter
• Heat propagation in a homogeneous bar
• Pycnometer
• Sedimentation
• Ostwald viscometer
• Surface tension
• Venturi tube
• Clement-Desormes experiment
• Kundt's tube

 

If the teaching is given in a mixed or remote mode, the necessary changes with respect to what was previously stated may be introduced, in order to comply with the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

DATES OF EXAMINATION

As a rule, 8 exam sessions are fixed in each Academic Year; consult the Exam Calendar for the Bachelor's Degree Course in Physics: http://www.dfa.unict.it/corsi/L-30/esami.

As illustrated above, these dates refer exclusively to the practical test. Considering the preparation of the laboratory report and the correction by the teacher, the oral exam will be done about 15/20 days after the practical test.

Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.

The questions below are not an exhaustive list but are just a few examples.

Covariance matrix, propagation of errors in indirect measurements, Chi-square test, questions on the laboratory paper presented.

NB: this list does not in any way mean that these will be all or only some of the questions that will be proposed to students during the oral exam.