Physics Lab Rules and Procedures (2019.

08)

1. Most of the lab time will be spent doing experiments in small groups.
2. All members of a group should participate equally in the experiment.
Failure to do so may result in an unfavorable report grade.
3. An overall lab grade will consist of 10 components:
i. Attendance/Performance (25/100 points): Student attends the
session and performs the experiment.
ii. Pre-Experiment Quiz (10/100): Covers experiment and related
physics. Open notes.
iii. Post-Experiment Quiz (10/100): Covers experiment and
experimental results. Open notes.
iv. Lab Report Cover Sheet (5/100) and Report Composition
(5/100): Cover sheet includes experiment title, author name,
partners’ names, date, and lab section; report must be arranged
in the order outlined below.
v. Lab Essay (15/100): One page essay, written by hand in lab, on a
thought provoking topic related to the experiment or the related
physics. Essay must be signed and dated by professor before
student leaves lab.
vi. Typed Essay (5/100): Typed copy of lab essay.
vii. Data (5/100): All collected data as requested on the
experiment’s data sheet.
viii. Calculations (5/100): All calculations as required on the
experiment’s calculation sheet.
ix. Graphs/Plots (5/100): All plots required of the experiment.
x. Problems (10/100): Solutions (work shown) to the end of the lab
chapter problems.
All work except the pre- and post- quizzes is to be submitted at the
next scheduled meeting as part of the lab report.
4. You must read the experimental procedure before arriving in the lab
to do the experiment efficiently. There will be a quiz on the
experiment and the related physical concepts at the beginning of the
lab session.
5. Take the lab seriously. Altogether, the laboratory constitutes 20% of
your grade in the course.
6. There are usually ten experiments during the semester. The lowest lab
grade will be dropped.
7. The reports are expected to be turned in on time. These are due at the
beginning of your assigned lab period the meeting following the
experiment.
8. Work will not be accepted late. There will be NO exceptions. Do not
turn in work at the Parker Science Annex (PSA). Do not turn in work by
e-mail. Do not turn work in to anyone except the professor.
9. Make sure the attendance sheet is signed when arriving at the lab.
This constitutes partial proof that the student was physically in the lab.
Performing the experiment is worth 25/100. Failure to have taken part
in the experiment results in an overall zero for that lab.
10. Make-up labs may only be scheduled during the week of the
missed experiment (LAB_SCHED). The student must ask permission of
the Professor and must have a valid reason. They must submit a Lab
Make-Up Form to the Professor at the make-up session. Every make-
up lab after the first carries a progressive 5 point penalty. For example,
the second make-up Lab Report grade would have 5 points taken off
the raw score for that report. The third make-up grade would have 10
points taken off the raw score for that report, etc.
11. Components 04-10 in item No. 3 above constitute a complete
Lab Report. The report must conform to the following order:
i. Cover sheet
ii. Hand written essay
 iii. Typed essay copy
iv. Data
v. Calculations
vi. Graphs
vii. Solutions to problems (On separate pages)
12. The Lab Report must have a cover sheet displaying the lab title,
the lab section, the author’s name, the names of the rest of the lab
group, and the date. The hand-written essay from the lab should be
typed and both, the original and typed versions, included in the lab
report. The typed version must be an exact copy of the hand-written
one. The Data/Calculations/Solutions need not be typed, but they
should be legible, complete, and coherent. The data and calculations
can be recorded on the worksheets provided in the lab manual. The
solutions to the end of the chapter problems must include your
explicit work in arriving at the answers.
13. The data may be collected in groups, and the results and
calculations discussed among the group, but each person is expected
to submit their own original work. If the members of a group turn in
work that is clearly copied from each other, they will receive no credit
for that experiment and more serious action may be taken. Similarly,
the problems associated with each experiment are to be ultimately
done individually.
14. The essay must be completed before the end of the laboratory
session. The calligraphy should be such that on average there are 33
lines per page and 33 characters per line. In length, the essay should
fill at least one whole page (200 words). No use of internet sources is
allowed unless sanctioned by the professor. Any plagiarism will result
in serious consequences.
15. Any questions or complaints about any aspect of the lab (in
particular, grades, etc.) are to be directed at the professor.
16. Leave your lab area clean and organized. Make sure all
equipment and materials provided are accounted for before you
leave the lab room. All lab tables are checked after the group leaves,
and the group will be held accountable for any missing equipment.
17. Leaving the laboratory with a quiz is forbidden and will result in
a zero for that lab grade.
18. NO FOOD OR DRINK is allowed in the lab. Any student found
eating or drinking in the lab rooms will be ejected immediately.
Students with special needs or circumstances must communicate this
to the professor so arrangements can be made.
19. NO OPEN-TOED SHOES are permitted in the lab. Any student
wearing such shoes will be removed from the lab.