Physics 103N - Engineering Physics II Lab

Electromagnetism and Optics

Spring 2008

THIS WEEK - 4/28: All sections will do Lab 10.W - Diffraction and Interference

Physics Person of the Week: James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was aggregating a set of equations in electricity, magnetism and inductance — Maxwell's equations — including an important modification of Ampère's circuital law. It was the most unified model of electromagnetism yet. It is famous for introducing to the physics community a detailed model of light as an electromagnetic phenomenon, building upon the earlier hypothesis advanced by Michael Faraday.
He also developed the Maxwell distribution, a statistical means to describe aspects of the kinetic theory of gases. These two discoveries helped usher in the era of modern physics, laying the foundation for future work in such fields as special relativity and quantum mechanics. He is also known for creating the first true colour photograph in 1861.
Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic fields travel through space, in the form of waves, and at the constant speed of light. Finally, in 1861 Maxwell wrote a four-part publication in the Philosophical Magazine called On Physical Lines of Force where he first proposed that light was in fact undulations in the same medium that is the cause of electric and magnetic phenomena.
Maxwell is considered by many physicists to be the scientist of the nineteenth century most influential on twentieth century physics. His contributions to the science are considered by many to be of the same magnitude as those of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.[1] In 1931, on the centennial of Maxwell's birthday, Einstein himself described Maxwell's work as the "most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton."[2]

(The picture and above text was "borrowed" from Wikipedia.org).

James Clerk Maxwell

Course Schedules

Weekly Lab Schedule - Lists which lab is done each week
Weekly Section Schedule - Lists the times that labs are held each week and which TA is teaching the lab

Prelabs and other Handouts

Error Propagation Cheat Sheet

Prelab 0.W2, Prelab 1.W, Prelab 2.W1, Prelab 2.W2, Prelab 3.W, Prelab 4.W, Prelab 5.W, Prelab 6.W, Prelab 7.W, Prelab 8.W, Prelab 9.W, Prelab 10.W

Course Description:

This is the lab which accompanies the Physics 303L, Engineering Physics II Lecture. Although this class is a corequisite to Physics 303L, the topics discussed are not necessarily exactly those discussed in lecture. You don't always need a detailed theoretical description of phenomena to measure and characterize their properties; it is this empirical approach that we want to emphasize.

This course provides a general background knowledge of how experimental work is actually done. You will learn how to use equipment such as multimeters, frequency generators, and oscilloscopes among others. You will see how to measure various properties of electronic circuits and optical systems. These are all very practical skills. Secondly, it will also help you see that all the conjectures and calculations that you learn about in lecture do describe events in the real world; you will quantitatively verify some of the formulas derived in the lecture to check the professor and make sure you haven't been lied to.

The format for 103N has been designed for a two hour laboratory immediately followed by a 1 hour classroom period. You will complete the day's experiment in the laboratory (RLM 8.320); and have one hour to complete your lab worksheet and turn it in to the instructor. There is no take home work in Physics 103N. You must complete the work in 3 hours; therefore, it is vital for you to read your lab manual prior to class. Try to see your TA before your class if you have questions.

Lab Format

Theory Section
Worksheet Sections

In-Lab Procedure
In-Lab Computer Work
Pre-Classroom Check List
In-Classroom Calculations & Analysis
In-Classroom Discussion & Conclusions

IMPORTANT: For the first day, you should read the introduction in your lab manual. Your first in-class work will be Section 0.W1.

Instructors

Please email your instructor to get information related to your specific class, e.g. syllabi, announcements, etc.

Please direct any questions about schedule conflicts, TA concerns, etc. to the Head TA.

Last update: Feb. 23, 2008