Physics 110LB: General Introductory Physics Laboratory Exercises (Electricity, Magnetism, Light, and Atomic Physics)

Fall 2021 Term
PHYS 110LB Section 8 Class (0000

1. Course Goals

In person, this lab class was designed to allow students to obtain hands-on experience in semi-formal laboratory settings. The goal of this design was two-fold: to give students a visual and tactile understanding of the basic principles of physics; and to give students a taste of the world of scientific research and literature.

Due to the COVID-19, we can no longer have in-person lab class. To fill this gap, we turn to online simulations which model real world experiments, albeit with simplified physics. While these simulations are helpful, we should go into this class understanding that the simplified physics removes the key factor of error in measurement and manual labor, but gives us more expected results. In other words, the labs looked cooler in person, but these simulations should give you the results you want much more easily.

Our modified goals for our online lab class are as follows:

• To utilize simulations for their visual and semi-tactile representations of basic physics.
• To enter into the world of academic research papers and its language, format, and style.

2. Contact Information

3. Resources required

Computer (laptop or desktop) to download/view lab manuals, run online simulations, and write lab reports. Stable internet connection for Zoom meetings, OR ability to access class recordings online. Microsoft office is FREE for CUNY students and is needed to view lab manuals and is recommended for writing lab reports and making graphs.

4. Course Structure

Each Friday we will meet on Zoom at 5:35PM. A recurring Zoom room invite link will be emailed to everyone before the first class. During our class, I will answer any questions on the lab that is due that day, then go over the next lab manual in detail via screen share. After going over the lab, students may either leave the Zoom room if they have no further questions, or stay online to work on the lab independently as I stay on (though muted) to answer any questions.

5. Grading Policy

Lab Grades – 100%
You will be graded on 4 out of 5 of the labs. The lowest lab grade (which can be a zero) will be dropped.

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