Physics 103N - Engineering Physics II Lab

Electromagnetism and Optics

Fall 2009

THIS WEEK - 08/26/09: NO LABS. LABS WILL BEGIN ON 8/31/2009.

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE 103N MANUAL AVAILABLE FROM THE UNIVERSITY COOP. A PDF OF THE FIRST CHAPTER CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE.

 

Physics Person of the Week: Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727 [OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727]) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian who is perceived and considered by a substantial number of scholars and the general public as one of the most influential men in history.

His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is by itself considered to be among the most influential books in the history of science, laying the groundwork for most of classical mechanics. In this work, Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries. Newton showed that the motions of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws by demonstrating the consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus removing the last doubts about heliocentrism and advancing the scientific revolution.

In mechanics, Newton enunciated the principles of conservation of both momentum and angular momentum. In optics, he built the first practical reflecting telescope[7] and developed a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the many colours which form the visible spectrum. He also formulated an empirical law of cooling and studied the speed of sound.

In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of the differential and integral calculus. He also demonstrated the generalised binomial theorem, developed the so-called "Newton's method" for approximating the zeroes of a function, and contributed to the study of power series.

Newton remains influential to scientists, as demonstrated by a 2005 survey of scientists and the general public in Britain's Royal Society asking who had the greater effect on the history of science, Newton or Albert Einstein. Newton was deemed to have made the greater overall contribution to science, although the two men were closer when it came to contributions to humanity.[8] Newton was also highly religious, though an unorthodox Christian, writing more on Biblical hermeneutics than the natural science he is remembered for today.

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

Alhazen
 

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: August 22, 2009