Advanced Lab - Scary Expectations and Regulations

Expectations:

This class is typically one of the harder, more time intensive classes you can take in physics. That is why it is a three credit lab. At most schools it is scheduled for twice as many class and twice as many lab hours. At Davidson College, for example, they have 3 hours of lecture and 6 hours of lab time scheduled each week, and then they are expected to spend at least that much time outside of class. You will find that is typical at other schools. I have chosen to schedule it for less in-class time, and have cut back on the depth and number of subjects we will cover. But that sometimes might come at the cost of me going over detail in class, and the expectation that you will take time to struggle over the material. You should not expect to get it right away.

You should expect the subjects to be hard at first, as all of physics is. My doing repetitive examples on the board is not as helpful as you pushing through an example on your own. You should expect to struggle; you should expect to get things wrong, and to have to do them over and over again. This is the key about real laboratory work. My intention is not to hold your hand throughout lab - you need to try it on your own, and if it doesn't work as you expect, then you try to figure out what you have done wrong.

• You should not expect to be able to write-up the lab the night before it is due.
• You should expect to spend a minimum of six hours total to do the labs.
• You should expect me to lecture as much as two hours per lab.
• You should expect to get things wrong and then to spend time analyzing what went wrong.
• You should come to me in my office for help if you are having trouble.  You can come in during office hours or any other time I am in my office. Remember that I truly do enjoy working with you, but you need to find a good balance between putting in enough effort and then recognizing that it is time for guidance.
• You will not copy any portion of anyone's lab write-up, and you will not allow anyone to copy any portion of your lab.

Safety:

• There is virtually nothing you can do in this lab that is unsafe short of sticking your tongue in the 120 V plug on the wall. Sure, you could get hurt with an airtrack lab if you drop it on your head. It does not hurt to sensible. When you are using electricity, turn off the power supply until the circuit is all connected and then turn it back on.
• I had to sign a safety statement which states that you are allowed to use all of the lab rooms, but NO chemicals. Chemicals do not play a part in these labs, so be sure not to have chemicals in the lab for any other reason.
• Martin policy is that you have 24 hour access to Martin 320. If you have any issues with security telling you that you cannot be here at night, please let me know immediately.