The course is designed primarily to help the non-scientist act in an informed way in today's technically oriented society. Topics covered in the two-semester course include mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics. Kinematics, dynamics, electricity and magnetism, fluid statics and dynamics, thermodynamics and optics covered with no assumption of prior knowledge of physics. These laboratories are designed to correlate with the lecture material in PHYS 203 and PHYS 204, respectively. The experiments are designed to illustrate and emphasize the physical phenomena discussed in the corresponding lecture courses.
Laboratory reports stress writing to learn.
The laboratories parallel and supplement the lecture material in PHYS 221 and PHYS 222, respectively. The laboratories utilize modern measuring equipment including computer interface experiments, oscilloscopes, spectroscopes, etc. PHYS 271 concentrates on the fundamental concepts of physics and their application to the study of material properties. PHYS 272 concentrates on the procedures and techniques used in the experimental laboratory. Emphasis is placed on proper experimental technique, error analysis, and technical report writing.