Instructor:     Vivek Sharma

Office:         Mayer Hall 3314 
Phone:          534-1943
E-mail:         vsharma@hephp1.ucsd.edu

Office Hours:   Tuesday, 12:00 - 13:00 pm, 3314 Mayer Hall



TA:             Matt Worcester

Office:  UPRC, 6126 Urey Hall
Phone:  558-8019
E-mail:  mworcest@sdcc13.ucsd.edu



Lectures:       Mondays, 10:10-11:00 am, WLH 203

The lectures will discuss the analysis of experimental data and the 
treatment of errors.  Problems will be assigned periodically and 
discussed in the lectures.  The problems will not be graded, but doing
and understanding them is greatly encouraged and is to your benefit.
                    



Laboratory: Tuesdays, 2:20-5:10 pm, WLH 2216

Each student is required to do 7 experiments.

Each experiment is performed by one student.
Each student will be assigned a particular experiment in the 
first week, and rotate to the next experiment on the following week, 
continuing in this manner until all 7 experiments have been completed. 
For example, the student assigned experiment 6 the first week will then have
experiment 7 the second week, experiment 1 the third week, experiment 2
the fourth, and so on.

If it is necessary to make-up a missed experiment, consult the TA for an 
open slot in the schedule.  Those experiments performed on schedule 
have priority, so it is advised to adhere to the original schedule.
PLEASE NOTE: A very strict make-up policy will be enforced!

The student should prepare for the experiment in advance by reviewing 
the relevant course material and reading the written description of the 
lab manual.  Near the beginning of the lab session, the TA will come
around to discuss the experiment with you.  Your knowledge of the 
experiment will be noted and used in the determination of your course 
grade.  Also, a student who is (in the opinion of the lab TA) obviously 
unprepared may be asked to leave and do the experiment at a later date.


Exams:               There will be a final exam which will cover the material 
                 in the lectures. Some of the questions will be taken 
                 directly from the problems which were assigned in 
                 the lectures.  

                  FINAL EXAM is March 21, 8:00 am - 11:00 am               

                 

Grading Policy:  Lab Notebook    70%

                 Exam            30%


 
The following items are needed for this course.


Text (recommended)       John R Taylor
                         An Introduction to Error Analysis, Second Edition
                         University Science Books, 
                         Oxford University Press.
                         Available at the University Bookstore

Laboratory Manual        Laboratory Manual, Physics 2DL
                         Dept. of Physics, UCSD
                         Available at the University Bookstore

Notebooks (lab)          Two 7 7/8 x 10 1/8 quadrille ruled notebooks
                         Label them 1 and 2 (with your name)
                         You will work with one notebook while the
                         other one is being reviewed by the TA.

Graph Paper              It is acceptable to produce linear graphs 
                         directly in the laboratory notebook pages.
                         Some experiments may require semi-log graph
                         paper which is available in the University
                         Bookstore.

Calculator               A scientific calculator with a statistical
                         analysis package (mean, standard deviation,
                         and linear regression).
                         Any calculator with a statistical package
                         that you can use will be adequate.



The following guidelines are intended to supplement the discussion
in the laboratory manual concerning the lab notebook.


1)  Data is most easily presented in the form of a Table which
    includes units and uncertainties.
    All data should be entered into the bound notebook in ink!!
    It is OK to cross out mistakes and replace them with the corrections.
    No erasing or use of white-out will be allowed.
    NO loose pages will be accepted.  Any additions should be permanently
    attached to the pages of the notebook (staple or tape).
    It is okay to photocopy a master data set and attach it to your 
    notebook after you leave the lab.


2)  It is much easier to grade your notebook if you also present an
    analysis Table.  For example: Suppose you measured a voltage V 
    (with error) and a distance r (with error) and tabulated them in
    your data table.  Next you decide to plot V**2 versus 1/r**2.  
    It is a very good idea to make a new Table containing:
    V V**2 r 1/r**2 (all with the propagated uncertainties)
    before actually making the plot.  Also a sample calculation is
    requested to demonstrate how you obtained the Table entries
    (one is sufficient).


3)  If you are making a least-squares analysis, you should start by
    showing the predicted functional relation and identifying the
    various coefficients which are determined by your "fit".  The
    output of a least-squares analysis should contain both coefficients
    and their uncertainties.  Remember that it may be necessary to
    propagate the errors in the coefficients to obtain the errors in
    the final results.  Finally, show the "fit" on the graph with your
    data for comparison.


4)  All results should be compared with the accepted (or theoretical)
    values whenever possible, and any discrepancies should be noted and
    discussed in your concluding remarks.


5)  This course is not designed so that everyone gets the right answer.
    The experiments and setups are not perfect and will not always yield
    the desired results.  Therefore, 'fudging data' will not be beneficial
    to you.  Please maintain the integrity of your results!

Last modified: Mon Jan 5 17:00:36 PST 1998