Visual Physics 218 Lab
   [and Tech. Writing (TW)]

Room: HELD 218 for both recitation and lab
Lab Manuals: Available online below
Textbook: University Physics, 12th ed., Young & Freedman

Faculty Lab Coordinator: Prof. Dan Melconian (e-mail)

Instructors for Fall 2009
Dr. George Kattawar (200-203; webpage)
Dr. Dan Melconian (513-520; webpage)
Dr. Alexei Sokolov (529-532; webpage)
Teaching Assistants for Fall 2009
Shan Hu (201, 514, 532)
Kechen Wang (513, 517, 530)
Chi Chen (203, 515, 519)
Jieyu Wang (516, 520, 531)
Andrew Traverso (202, 518, 529)


Welcome to Visual Physics (VP) Lab!

The VP lab is one of two kinds of lab courses in PHYS 218 offered by the Physics Department. Below are several highlights that are different from the other (= non-VP) lab.

  1. Free Lab Manuals:
    • All manuals for VP experiments are available online. [If you are taking non-VP lab, then the manual book is available at book stores.]
    • Click here (or below) to download the manual for: "Lab 0", "Lab 1", "Lab 2", "Lab 3", "Lab 4", "Lab 5", and "Lab 6"
    • There is also a report "Introduction to Error Theory" by Sante R. Scuro to help those who want to solidify their knowledge of the theory.
    • Scroll down to see the tentative schedule for recitation and laboratory sessions.
  2. Lab Report Formats: How will your report be graded? Check the grading scheme before submitting your report to TA. Your lab TA will grade your report using this rubric.
  3. Lab Journal:
    • You are required to maintain "Lab Journal" or "Logbook" for your experiments. Please click here (360 kB, PDF) for an example of a logbook for an experimental work.
  4. Check with your TA and instructor for grading policy of your lab work, including the lab report and lab journal.
  5. Standard procedures to deal with the schedule conflict between PHYS218 Lab and MATH/ENGR Common Exams.
Below is a tentative recitation/lab schedule which may be changed by a request of the instructor:

Note: the recitations and laboratories do not meet in the first week of the semester. Meet your TA in HELD 218 starting the week of Sept. 7, 2009. If in the future your recitation/laboratory is unexpectantly cancelled or you miss one with a university excused absence, arrange with your TA to make it up (e.g. by attending another of the VP218 sections).
Week Number
(starting Monday)
Recitation Lab
(Get the manuals online by clicking below)
Note
1 (8/30) No recitations/laboratories
2 (9/07) Chp. 0 (calculus);
Chp. 1 (estimates, units, dimensional analysis)
No Lab 0 report
Lab 0 Tools and techniques.
Error Theory (by S.R. Scuro).
3 (9/14) Ch.2 Motion in 1D Lab 1 1D Motion
(Chp. 2)
Quick quiz 1
 
4 (9/21) Ch.3 Motion in 2D No lab; extended recitation for Exam 1 review. Lab 1 report is due at the recitation meeting this week.
5 (9/28) Ch.4 Newton's Laws Lab 2 2D Motion
(Chp. 3)
Quick quiz 2
Movie: Car Push (mpeg)
Exam 1 (Chps. 1-3)
Mon. Sep. 28 (200-203)
Tue. Sep. 29 (513-520)
Mon. Sep. 28 (529-532)
6 (10/5) Ch.5 Newton's Laws Lab 3 Force and Newton's Laws
(Chps. 4, 5)
Quick quiz 3
Frictionless plane
Lab 2 report is due at the recitation meeting this week.
7 (10/12) Ch.6 Work Energy Theorem No lab
Work done by a horse
Lab 3 report is due at the recitation meeting this week.
8 (10/19) Ch.7 Energy Conservation No lab; extended recitation for Exam 2 review. Exam 2 (Chps. 4-7)
Fri. Oct. 23 (200-203)
Tue. Oct. 27 (513-520)
Mon. Oct. 26 (529-532)
9 (10/26) Ch.8 Momentum Conservation Lab 4 Conservation of energy and momentum (Chps. 6, 7, 8)
Quick quiz 4
10 (11/2) Ch.9 Rotation I No lab Lab 4 report is due at the recitation meeting this week
Nov. 6 →   Last day to Q-drop   ←
11 (11/09) Ch.10 Rotation II Lab 5 Rotation
(Chps. 9, 10)
Quick quiz 5
 
12 (11/16) Ch.11 Static Equilibirum; Ch.12 Gravity No lab; extended recitation for Exam 3 review. Lab 5 report is due at the recitation meeting this week.
Exam 3 (Chps. 8-12)
Fri. Nov. 20 (200-203)
13 (11/23) Ch.13 SHM Lab 6 Oscillation
(Chp. 13)
Quick quiz 6
SHM Animation
Funny Gravity
Exam 3 (Chps. 8-11)
Tue. Nov. 24 (513-520)
Mon. Nov. 23 (529-532)
Nov. 26, 27 →   Thanksgiving Holidays   ←
14 (11/30) Ch.14 Fluid Dynamics (200-203 only);
Ch.15 Waves; Review
No lab Lab 6 report is due at the recitation meeting this week.
15 (12/07) Redefined days; no recitations or labs
Dec. 14-16 Fall 2009 Final Comprehensive Exams

Sections 200-203:   8:00am&mdash10:00am Tues.  Dec. 15   (Chps. 1-15)
Sections 513-516: 1:00pm&mdash3:00pm Mon.  Dec. 14 (Chps. 1-13,15)
Sections 517-520: 3:30pm&mdash5:30pm  Weds.  Dec. 16 (Chps. 1-13,15)
Sections 529-532: 10:30am&mdash12:30pm Mon.  Dec. 14 (Chps. 1-13,15)