PHYSICS LABORATORY I A - L

Module LABORATORIO

The course gives the background of Laboratory of Physics and Statistics.

The students teach the experimental method and the experimental data analysis techniques. 

The number of hours the student attends the laboratory  is 90 hours. During the experimental work the students are followed by the teacher and a tutor. There is, also,  the  presence of the lab technician.

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. Are provided exercises during head-hours in order to prepare students to perform correctly laboratory experiences that they will do in the second part of the teaching.
7 credits (corresponding to 7 hours each) are dedicated to lessons in the classroom, for a total of 49 hours, 2 ECTS (corresponding to 30 hours) are dedicated to exercises and 3 ECTS (45 hours) to laboratory practice. 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.

The course is 12 CFU, equivalent to 12 ECTS. 124 hours including classroom lessons and laboratory exercises.

In particular, 49 hours of classroom instruction, 30 hours of guided exercises and 45 hours of guided laboratory practice are planned and  include both the description of the 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

Laboratory hours (30 hours in the classroom and in the laboratory) dedicated to:

• description of measuring instruments: vernier, various types of calipers;
• description of the mechanical devices used to create and maintain the vacuum;
• Notes on information technology and computer hardware;
• Description of laboratory experiences;
• Statistics exercise.

Laboratory experiments  (45 hours ):

Inclined plane • • Fletcher and Atwood Machine Device • Simple pendulum • Physic Pendulum• Kater reversible pendulum • Pendulum ball, spherometer • Pendulum on bow • Torsion Pendulum • Maxwell's • Springs • Moment of inertia of a flywheel • Rotational kinetic energy.

Pycnometer • Mohr-Westphal balance • viscometer Ostwald • Tension • Venturi tube • Sedimentation.
Calorimeter mixtures of Regnault • Heat propagation in a homogeneous beam • -Equazione perfect gas state of Desormes • Experience and Clement • Kundt Tube • Galton Box

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

SUGGESTED TEXTS for laboratory, data analysis and statistics

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. R. Ricamo: Guida alle Esperimentazioni di Fisica, Ed. Ambrosiana, Milano
5. E. Perucca: Fisica Generale e Sperimentale, UTET, Torino
6. F.Tyler: A Laboratory Manual of Physics E.Arnould, London
7. lecture slides

In the second semester, students will perform (in groups of 3 or 4 people) the collection and analysis of data from some experiments in the laboratory, assisted by the teacher.

Each group will be engaged in some laboratory experiments according to a calendar that will be made available by the end of the first semester

Among the experiments that students will do during the second teaching period there will also be Galton's experiment. The results will be discussed in class.

Practical test: the student will take an individual practical laboratory test on an experiment drawn from the four (A1, A2, A3, A4), assigned by the teacher to his group in table A. He will deliver a report on this experience with a complete data analysis, which will be discussed during the oral exam.

Oral test: it covers all the topics of the course and the experiences explained by the teacher during the course, even if no experiments have been done on these. There will be a detailed and extensive discussion of the paper presented. The remaining four experiments (A1, A2, A3, A4) will be assigned by the teacher, taking them from Table A

Table A

Inclined plane

Fletcher device

Atwood machine

Simple pendulum (small oscillations)

Simple pendulum (large oscillations)

Plane physical pendulum

Spherical and arc pendulum

Torsion pendulum

Maxwell needle

Oscillations of a spring

Moment of inertia of a flywheel

Kinetic energy of rotation

Experiment on collisions

Table B

Kater's reversible pendulum

Regnault's calorimeter of mixtures

Heat propagation in a homogeneous rod

Pycnometer

Mohr-Westphal balance

Sedimentation

Ostwald viscometer

Surface tension

Venturi tube

Verification of gas laws

Experiment of Clement-Desormes

Kundt tube

If the teaching is taught in mixed mode or remotely, the necessary changes may be introduced with respect to what was previously declared, in order to respect the expected program and reported in the syllabus.

EXAM DATES

As a rule, 8 exam sessions are set in each Academic Year; consult the Exam Calendar of the Three-Year 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 approximately 7 / 20 days after the practical test.

The learning assessment may also be carried out electronically, if conditions require it.

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

Covariate 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.