AP Physics C 910 - Lab Manual1

Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute

AP Physics C

Class 910

Fall 2009

Instructor: Mr. H. M. van Bemmel B.Sc. (Hons), B.Ed.

Laboratory Manual

Revision 8 – September 2009

1 Laboratory Exercises

2.1 Description of Labs

There will be four labs and one computer simulation in the fall semester. These labs will be performed independent from class time. You will work in groups of your choice that are not larger than four members. The data collection aspect of these labs must be performed during the 2-hour lab period offered Monday to Thursday after school. Analyses can effected in any location of convenience to you and your lab group. Below will be deadlines for the submission of the formal report for each lab experience. Remember you are required to submit TWO copies of your papers. One will be returned and the other kept on file. In addition, you must supply a single sheet of paper detailing the efforts of each person in the group and it must include the signatures of all members.

Due to bandwidth restrictions and formatting dramas, no electronic submissions will be accepted. I realize .pdf format resists this, but I think proper that you effect the printing for these reports instead of me.

Late submissions are NOT acceptable without proof of insurmountable difficulties for all 4 members of the group. Prevent this by having the report stored on more than one computer or on a web page and prepared a few days in advance.

The details will of the experiments and the project will be made clear when this document is released to the class on the first day of school. Full use of your graphing calculator, Maple, Excel and possibly some programming will be necessary to complete some of the analysis required for these labs. Here is your chance to be a scientist!

You are expected to design the procedures and analysis for each experiment. You will be marked on how well you first conform to the requirements of form and the basic academic constraints of the experiment and then on how you handle the more subtle and technical aspects. This is a measure of your scientific acumen and creativity. Yes, you can do more, but does it really contribute to the experiment? You need to weigh all of this very carefully. You will not have time to waste in your laboratory experience in university (or professional life) so find ways to check that you are on the right track before you waste a lot of time.

2.4 Marking Rubric

On the next page is a copy of the rubric that will be used to grade your formal lab reports. Comments from Mr. van Bemmel will be copiously written on the report and a short discussion will be had with each group when the report is returned. This may have to happen outside of class depending on our schedule. Students who wish further input should make an appointment with Mr. van Bemmel at a time of mutual convenience.

Although Mr. van Bemmel will guide you and answer specific questions related to form and other aspects of a paper, he will not “go over the report” prior to handing it in. You get one chance for your mark. You are expected to read EVERY WORD of the lab manual and the course profile that pertain to submission format and use it properly.

2.4.1 Lab Notebooks

You must submit your lab notebook along with your formal report. One Notebook per report please.

Formal Report Marking Rubric – Laboratory Papers APC910

Lab: 1234 Submit signature page on reverse

Student1 : ______Student2 : ______

Student3 : ______Student4 : ______

Category / Sub Category / Description / Mark
Communication / Syntax / Spelling and Grammar including proper tense of expression / 3
Form – Graphs and Charts / Do your graphs and tables follow the guidelines? Did you put a caption beneath each one? Are they numbered? Are they well presented? Are they necessary? Your tables should not break at the end of a page. Did you remember the index column?
Are your graphs scaled properly and with the proper format? Have you included error bars as required?
Form – Equations and Margins / Are your equations properly presented? Are the variables defined with the expected units included? Are variables only defined one time? Are your equations numbered with the number well off to the right? Did you source them as required?
Do your margin and columns conform to the rules? Is the font properly chosen? Are you using the correct size of paper and did you set up the first page as per the exemplar.
Does your report exceed the length rules?
Is your report free from silly computer glitches such a widows, orphans, and large gaps in the text? You must fix all of this.
Did you submit TWO identical copies? Did you print your work on BOTH sides of the paper? Did you submit a single page detailing the work of the team members and include signatures of all?
Form – Citations and Sources / Have you cited any facts not fairly earned by your team? Are they cited in the proper manner described in the lab manual? Did you list all your sources? Are the sources conveyed in the proper format? Did you include at least TWO text sources
Notebook / Is your notebook so well organized and containing enough information for me to write your formal report without other references? Your notes must be written in PEN / 2
knowledge / Uncertainty / Have you indicated the uncertainty of your measured values? Has this been done according to the rules as stipulated in the manual? Have your uncertainties been stated in the proper format? / 2
1
Abstract / Is this abstract written in the proper form? Is it a fair description of this work and its accomplishments? Is it a reasonable length? Does the abstract use some of the most impressive numerical values to buttress its claims?
Inquiry / Methodology / How have you used the equipment available to you? Have you maximized the precision and possibly the accuracy of your work? Did you know that you were doing this? Did you waste time on lengthy, but not productive techniques? / 5
2
Basic Content / Were the basic questions of the experiment answered? Were all the stated requirements met?
Advanced
Analysis / How aggressively did the report discuss the subtle relationships? How well were numerical relationships between variables developed and explained. How creative was the work presented via written text, graphs, tables and such like.
(I really care about this folks!)
Total Grade / /12 / %

Signature Page

Please sign and indicate what each person did.

Signature / Name / Contribution

2 The Experiments

LabTopicDue Date

1Mechanics02 Oct 2009

1ACollision Simulation16 Oct 2009

2Pendulum30 Oct 2009

3DC Electricity + AC Intro23 Nov 2009

4AC and Electromagnetism18 Dec 2009

SPECIAL NOTE:

I have spent some time investigating an interesting and useful experiment to perform in the Interference and Quantum Mechanics sections of our course. As of this writing, this is a work in progress. I have decided that this experiment will NOT be assigned this year.

Experiment 1 – Mechanics

Soup Can Roll

Basic Requirement / You must use two cans of soup. One is a consommé and the other is a cream soup. The cans must have the same-labelled mass and have the same dimensions at least to eye. It is better if the soups chosen do not have chunks of material in them.
These cans are to be rolled down two ramps and then on to a flat surface. The slope must be otherwise smooth and so must be the floor. One slope is to be slight permitting the consommé can to roll further. The other must be much steeper and result in the cream soup rolling further. You may have to cover the slopes with some material to prevent the can from slipping. You may also modify the floor ramp interface to allow the can to smoothly transfer from the ramp to the floor without appreciable bouncing. (If you think this matters)
In either case, one soup can will roll further than the other. Why? I want a complete analysis of the energy that is imparted to these cans and where it goes. What is going on inside the cans? What is the reason for the variation or lack thereof in the results from the two ramps? Justify your theory with some intelligent analyses. Full uncertainty analysis is expected. Innovative techniques to obtain better results are of interest.
Essential Report Information / Your report will follow all the constraints given in the course package. However, it will also conform to the page limit set forth below. Using appropriate and reasoned analysis your report must answer the question as why one can rolled further (in both experiments) and discuss using mathematical models the probable situation inside the cans during both experiments as can be inferenced by motion of same.
Page Limit / 4 pages + 1 page indicating the duties performed by each member. Please print them on BOTH sides of the paper.
Equipment Restrictions / Only equipment found in the school lab or reasonable contents of a student’s pencil case are permitted. Experiment data must be collected at the school using the aforementioned equipment unless express permission to the contrary has been secured. Analyses can be performed in any location.
Due Date / Not later than 1200 – 02 October 2009 – Friday – No Extensions
Submission Type / Paper ONLY. Double-sided. TWO identical copies must be submitted by the due date. Attached to one copy, include the grading/signature sheet found in this document. On it you need to indicate the aspects of the lab to which each member contributed and bears the signatures of all group members as an indication of agreement with this workload distribution.
Group Size / Not more than 4 people. No gender ratio restrictions. Groups may be changed for subsequent labs.

Experiment 1A – Mechanics

Collision Simulation

Basic Require-ments / You will write a simulation using code in C, C# or C++ that will simulate a two dimensional collision.
This code will first verify itself solving a 2D collision that is first head on with a motionless target, then a glancing collision with a motionless target. The verification is taken from a photocopy of a worked problem or an example from a text book that will show conclusively that your program is producing comparable results
The program will then analyze the situation where the target is moving.
This is a challenging problem algebraically, but it can be done using a simulation. It is a problem that you can intrinsically understand and thus find the benefit of producing a simulation for these types of problems. The real problem you will face here is how to model the actual events around the collision itself. We know that the materials compress for very short time span and spring back. Assume for this experiment that your collisions are elastic.
Since our laboratory equipment is limited in this area, you will use a stress ball, map out its compressive properties, and use these in your simulation.
BONUS: You may choose to include the rotation of the objects either as an initial condition and/or because of their impact for a maximum 20% bonus, but it must be done properly and with sound reasoning and most importantly as a simulation not a rendering. For clarity consider my primer on Simulations which can be found on my web page
Essential Report Informa-tion / Submission format: Your submission must include.
1. A complete listing of your code including reasonable documentation
2. Print outs of the Excel plots of the solutions generated by your program.
3. Photocopies of the sample problems you have used to verify the operation and accuracy of your program.
4. Photocopy of a 2D glancing collision with a moving target
5. No marks or consideration given for any GUI work regardless of the quality
6. A block diagram (Flow chart) of what your program is doing to produce the data.
7. Analysis of the stress ball spring constant experiment including any uncertainties. Is it linear etc? Is k a value or function?
Page Limit / Not enforced
Equipment Res-trictions / Only equipment found in the school lab or reasonable contents of a student’s pencil case are permitted. Experiment data must be collected at the school using the aforementioned equipment unless express permission to the contrary has been secured. Analyses can be performed in any location.
Translation. The analysis of the stress ball must be done at school in our lab. The rest can be done at your convenience, but the program must be transportable to school and runable there.
Due Date / Not later than 1200 – 16 October 2009 – Friday – No Extensions
Submission Type / As described above. Single copies only - - - This time.
Group Size / Not more than 4 people. No gender ratio restrictions. Groups may be changed for subsequent labs.

Experiment 2 – shm

Simple Pendulum

Basic Requirement / You are to investigate the effects that bob mass and the length of a pendulum have on its period. This is to be done at various release angles and the effect the release angle has on the pendulum’s period must be modelled.
Essential Report Information / The differential equation for the motion of the pendulum must be derived and the constants measured. For small values of theta, the DE can be simplified using the small angle equation. You must, however, be prepared to defend what range you consider a small angle and how this estimation affects the overall precision of your work. You are also expected to empirically model the effects of large values of theta on the period. Thus your final expression will be something like Period(theta, Length) = Ideal Period(length) + Period Perturbation (theta, length). CAUTION: Observe that the square root of small g is essentially equal to Pi. Do not ignore this!
You are also expected to let your pendulum swing for an extended period to determine the damping coefficient involved. You should predict what value for this coefficient is expected due in part to air resistance and compare it to what is measured.
Page Limit / 4 pages + 1 page explaining the duties of each team member. Please print them on BOTH sides of the paper.
Equipment Restrictions / Pendulum should be set in a V to ensure motion in only two dimensions. Any equipment in the school inventory not in current use by a teacher or the typical items found in a student’s pencil case. Data collection must occur within the school proper using the aforementioned equipment unless special permission has been granted by the instructor.
Due Date / Not later than 1200 – 30 October 2009 – Friday
Submission Type / Paper ONLY. Double-sided. TWO identical copies must be submitted by the due date. Attached to one copy, include the grading/signature sheet found in this document. On it you need to indicate the aspects of the lab to which each member contributed and bears the signatures of all group members as an indication of agreement with this workload distribution.
Group Size / Not more than 4 people. No gender ratio restrictions. Groups may be changed for subsequent labs.

Experiment 3 – Electricity

DC Circuit Analysis

AC Introduction

Basic Requirement / You will construct two separate circuits and analyze each of them as required below.
Circuit 1:Resistor network – Connect a bridge resistor network and then predict using KCL and KVL the voltages and currents of each segment. Then measure the same and verify these values. Account for any discrepancies. Full use of uncertainty analysis is required. Caution: It helps to choose resistors that have prime numbers or your linear system can be more easily dependant making the theoretical solution harder to find. Also, do not select resistors for the different branches of your circuit that differ by more than 1 order of magnitude as this will make your uncertainty analysis difficult.
Circuit 2:RC Circuit. You will construct a RC circuit and then observe the charging and discharging curves. You will have to choose values for R and C that can be read with the typical operational window of the I-books. These can be determined by appropriate attention to the theory of this type of electrical circuit.
HINT: In addition, the capacitor when nearing full charge will behave like a very large resistance. These phenomena will cause your voltmeter to give erroneous reading when in parallel to the capacitor. Part of your methodology will be to devise a work around to this issue and explain it in your paper
Circuit 3: Oscilloscope Familiarization You will connect the oscilloscope to the AC signal generator and obtain a waveform. From this you will measure the wave characteristics on the screen of the scope. The frequency counter can then be used to verify the frequency. You are expected to image the waveform from the screen of the scope. The TI-8x’s, I-books are not permitted on this segment as you are expected to learn the use and operation of an oscilloscope. You must use the analog scopes for this exercise. The digital scope is NOT to be used for this segment unless express permission from your instructor is given.
Essential Report Information / Your report will follow all the constraints given in the course package. However, it will conform to the page limit set forth below. The resistance of the CBL will begin to affect the readings you get from the voltage probe. You will have to sort this out.
You are expected to discuss the symmetry or lack thereof of the RC profiles.
Your report must indicate if your research confirms or challenges the accepted situation.
Page Limit / 4 pages + 1 page indicating the duties performed by each member. Please print your work on BOTH sides of the paper.
Equipment Restrictions / You may use digital and / or analog voltmeters. You may also use I-books / TI8x / CBL voltmeters if you wish and the equipment is available. You must use Kirchoff’s work to solve these circuits. Thevenin and Norton equivalents are not permitted in this analysis. You may however, show how these theorems conform to the work you have done, but your analysis cannot be justified exclusively by Norton or Thevenin Theorems.
Due Date / Not later than 1200 – 23 November 2009 – Monday
Submission Type / Paper ONLY. Double-sided. TWO identical copies must be submitted by the due date. Attached to one copy, include the grading/signature sheet found in this document. On it you need to indicate the aspects of the lab to which each member contributed and bears the signatures of all group members as an indication of agreement with this workload distribution.
Group Size / Not more than 4 people. No gender ratio restrictions. Groups may be changed for subsequent labs.

Note: There is only ONE unique solution to the KVL circuit in part 1. You have to be sure that the equations you choose are not linearly dependant. This can be checked when you set up your matrix by taking the determinant.