Syllabus
Physics 204-General Physics Laboratory
Section 1R, 7:30-10:20, Thursday
Peltier 227
Spring, 2009
Instructor: Dr. Chad Young
Office: 311 Powell Hall
Office hours: 7:00-7:30 & 8:25-10:35 MWF; 10:00-11:00 & 2:00-3:00 TR
Phone: 985-448-4879 (work)
E-mail:
Website: http://www.nicholls.edu/phsc/cyoung
Catalog Description: Phys 204. General Physics Laboratory. 1-0-3. Laboratory experiments in electricity, magnetism, and light.
Prerequisite: Credit or registration in PHYS 202.
Required Text: “Selected Experiments in Physics” by NSU Physics Staff. This text is available for purchase at Big Worm Books on Audubon Avenue behind Flannagan’s Restaurant.
Student Outcome Objectives:
· The student will explore and encounter physical examples of the topics mastered in PHYS 202.
· The student will become proficient in laboratory procedures, which include attention to safety, observations, and documentation.
Course Content:
Outline of Topics
Experiments #1: Electric Fields
2: Joule’s Law
3: Ohm’s Law
4: Resistors in Series and Parallel
5: Ammeters and Voltmeters (labeled VI in manual)
6: Wheatstone Bridge (VII)
7: Tangent Galvanometer (VIII)
8: Electromagnetic Induction (IX) (Midterm Quiz)
9: Laws of Reflection and Refraction (X)
10: Thin Lenses (XI)
11: Optical Instruments (XII)
12: TBA
13: Lab Final
Assessment & Grading:
The student can earn up to 520 points. The letter grades are assigned in usual fashion: A (>90%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%), and F (<60%). The points are assigned in these areas:
· Lab performance and participation (120 pts): The student will receive up to 10 points for conducting each experiment. This component of the assessment includes cooperation with other group members and participation in the experiment.
· Data and Analysis (240 pts): The student will earn up to 20 points, during each lab, for the data and analysis. These will include tables of data, calculations, and, when applicable, graphs or drawings.
· Lab Reports (60 pts): The student will earn up to five points for each lab report. The lab report should be no greater than one type-written page (12 pt font, double-spaced). This report will be a simple summary of the experiment and results; it will serve as an abstract, not a full lab report. The student will submit these reports through Black Board’s digital drop box. See document on BB for more details about format.
· Midterm Quiz (35 pts): The midterm will contain only a written component.
· Final Exam (70 pts): The final will be cumulative and consist of written and practical components.
Make-up Policy: Make-ups for labs will be determined by the instructor on a case-by-case basis.
Academic Honesty Policy: Dishonesty, in the form of copying another student’s report, will follow the guidelines set in the “Code of Student Conduct” manual. However, students are expected to collaborate within their group and even with other groups. The final report should be the work of each student. Participation in the lab is required; attempts to submit a lab report without having attended the lab will be considered as a violation of academic honesty.
Plagiarism
By taking this course, students agree that all assignments are subject to submission to Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism prevention and detection service. All work submitted to Turnitin.com will be added to its database of papers. Turnitin's privacy policy and a description of the service are available at http://www.turnitin.com. Specifically, this service compares your paper with Internet webpages, articles in databases, and all papers previously submitted from this university or any other. Turnitin then either confirms the originality of your work or gives the source of plagiarism. In cases of detected plagiarism, the paper and supporting evidence will be handled in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.nicholls.edu/life/policy/code_of_conduct.pdf).
Attendance Policy: Attendance is essential and mandatory. Because group participation is important to the class, tardiness will carry consequences. If a student is tardy more than five minutes to class, 5 points will be deducted from that student’s lab performance grade. If a student is tardy more than 20 minutes to class, the student will not be allowed to participate in the lab experiment and will be considered absent.
Drop Date: Friday, 3 April 2009, is the final date to receive an automatic “W” when dropping a course or resigning from Nicholls State University.
Disabled Students: If you have a disability that requires assistance, please let me know. Also, you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Office of Disability Services is located in Peltier Hall, Room 100-A. The phone number is 985-448-4430 (TDD 449-7002).
Academic Grievances:
The proper procedure for filing grade appeals or grievances related to academic matters is listed in Section 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and at the following link:
http://www.nicholls.edu/documents/student_life/code_of_conduct.pdf.
Continued Learning following an Extreme Emergency:
In order to make continued learning possible following an extreme emergency, students are responsible for:
● reading regular emergency notifications on the NSU website
● knowing how to use and access Blackboard (or university designated electronic delivery system)
● being familiar with emergency guidelines
● evacuating textbooks and other course materials
● knowing their Blackboard (or designated system) student login and password
● contacting faculty regarding their intentions for completing the course
Faculty are responsible for:
● their development in the use of the Blackboard (or designated) software
● having a plan for continuing their courses using only Blackboard and email
● continuing their course in whatever way suits the completion of the course best, and being creative in the continuation of these courses
● making adjustments or compensations to a student’s progress in special programs with labs, clinical sequences or the like only in the immediate semester following the emergency.