Physics 103N - Engineering Physics II Lab

Electromagnetism and Optics

Spring 2012

THIS WEEK - 03/05/12: Lab 4.W Oscilloscope

Physics Person of the Week: Ferdinand Braun

 Karl Ferdinand Braun (6 June 1850 – 20 April 1918) was a German inventor, physicist and Nobel laureate in physics. Braun contributed significantly to the development of the radio and television technology: he shared with Guglielmo Marconi the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Braun was born in Fulda, Germany, and educated at the University of Marburg and received a Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in 1872. In 1874 he discovered that a point-contact semiconductor rectifies alternating current. He became director of the Physical Institute and professor of physics at the University of Strassburg in 1895.

In 1897 he built the first cathode-ray tube (CRT) and cathode ray tube oscilloscope. CRT technology has been replaced by flat screen technologies (such as liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) and plasma displays) on television sets and computer monitors. The CRT is still called the "Braun tube" in German-speaking countries (Braunsche Röhre) and in Japan (Buraun-kan).

Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were developed in the late 19th century. At that time, the tubes were intended primarily to demonstrate and explore the physics of electrons (then known as cathode rays). Karl Ferdinand Braun invented the CRT oscilloscope as a physics curiosity in 1897, by applying an oscillating signal to electrically charged deflector plates in a phosphor-coated CRT. Braun tubes were laboratory apparatus, using a cold-cathode emitter and very high voltages (on the order of 20,000 to 30,000 volts). With only vertical deflection applied to the internal plates, the face of the tube was observed through a rotating mirror to provide a horizontal time base

Course Schedules

Prelabs and other Handouts - download all in a zip file

Error Propagation Cheat Sheet

First Chapter of the 103N Manual

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.

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: March 04, 2012