PHYS 401 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Class Policy
Physics 401 is a one semester course intended to give students an introduction to basic laboratory techniques in the context of classical mechanics and electromagnetism. The course consists of a one-hour lecture and a 4-hour lab-period per week.
Before you come to the lab
- Study the laboratory handout carefully (linked from the schedule). Your learning experience (and experimental success!) critically depends on being well-prepared prior to the laboratory sessions. Solid preparation will save significant amount of time in carrying out the analysis and writing laboratory reports.
- You will have one lab partner for each experiment. It is suggested, but not required, that you rotate partners intermittently for new experiments.
Lab notebook
- Keep a laboratory notebook. Your laboratory notebook is your record of your work in the lab. It needs to contain enough information (in combination with your data files) for you to complete your report after the lab session is done. Any ruled notebook (bound or spiral) will do fine as a lab notebook, as long as you keep it neat and in one piece. Bound notebooks are more durable.
Lab reports
- You and your partner(s) will work together to write a single lab report. This is a change from prior terms, where we required each individual to complete their own. You are expected to share work equitably, so that everyone learns writing / analysis / plotting; please contact the course staff if this is not working out for your group.
- Lab Report Submission: Unless otherwise specified, lab reports are generally due 1 week after the final lab session for that activity, the night following your usual lab section meeting. In other words, reports from the Tuesday section are due Tuesday night (defined as ending 8am Wednesday morning). Lab reports will be uploaded through the my.physics portal.
- Late Lab Reports: It is possible to submit a lab report late for reduced credit.
- Reports turned in within 1 week of the due date will be penalized by 5% of the assignment value.
- Within 2 weeks, the penalty is 10% of the assignment value.
- After two weeks, reports are not accepted without prior arrangement with the instructor, typically requiring extraordinary circumstances.
- We will waive the 1-week late penalty for two lab reports during the term ("vouchers"). Any unused vouchers will be credited for +5 points on your final lab score.
- Revise and Resubmit: You can revise one report and resubmit it for a regrade during the semester. The original report must have been a real report (fully completed, not an incomplete stub), and any late penalties carry over. Due date is the same as for the final report (which cannot be revised and resubmitted).
Attendance: Don't miss laboratories or lectures!
- Given the nature of this course, it is extremely difficult to usefully make up a missed lab activity. Please do your best to make it to lecture and lab!
- If you do miss a laboratory, consult with your laboratory instructor immediately to do the lab in another laboratory session during the same week. In some cases it may be possible to triple-up a lab group, with permission of the instructor and the lab TA. Makeups are generally difficult to arrange, but we can sometimes staff a makeup session Friday morning during our TA office hours (if worked out in advance). We swap out lab setups Friday afternoons, so it is generally not possible to arrange makeups after then.
- Excused absences from labs are granted only by the instructor, and follow the same criteria as in Physics 10x and 2xx, in accordance with the Student Code. Please contact your instructor as soon as possible in these cases, and expect to be asked to provide documentation.
- COVID-19 introduces the possibility for absences due to quarantine, isolation, or loss of building access. The former two are handled similarly to excused absences, while loss of building access will not generally be excused. Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if one of these things happens. In some cases (e.g. asymptomatic quarantine during a multi-week lab activity) it may be possible to arrange Zoom participation.
- Consult with your instructors for any problems regarding your reports, laboratory schedule, etc. You may email, call and/or drop in to resolve your problems as soon as possible.
Academic and Community Standards
Academic Integrity
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code should also be considered as a part of this syllabus. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Read the Code at the following URL: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/.
Academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade. Every student is expected to review and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy: https://studentcode.illinois.edu/article1/part4/1-401/. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.
Disability-Related Accommodations
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-4603, e-mail disability@illinois.edu or go to https://www.disability.illinois.edu. If you are concerned you have a disability-related condition that is impacting your academic progress, there are academic screening appointments available that can help diagnosis a previously undiagnosed disability. You may access these by visiting the DRES website and selecting “Request an Academic Screening” at the bottom of the page.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Any student who has suppressed their directory information pursuant to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) should self-identify to the instructor to ensure protection of the privacy of their attendance in this course. See https://registrar.illinois.edu/academic-records/ferpa/ for more information on FERPA.
Sexual Misconduct Reporting Obligation
The University of Illinois is committed to combating sexual misconduct. Faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct to the University’s Title IX Office. In turn, an individual with the Title IX Office will provide information about rights and options, including accommodations, support services, the campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.
A list of the designated University employees who, as counselors, confidential advisors, and medical professionals, do not have this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be found here: wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential.
Other information about resources and reporting is available here: wecare.illinois.edu.
Anti-Racism and Inclusivity
The Grainger College of Engineering is committed to the creation of an anti-racist, inclusive community that welcomes diversity along a number of dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability status, class, age, or religious beliefs. The College recognizes that we are learning together in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous voices and contributions have largely either been excluded from, or not recognized in, science and engineering, and that both overt racism and micro-aggressions threaten the well-being of our students and our university community.
The effectiveness of this course is dependent upon each of us to create a safe and encouraging learning environment that allows for the open exchange of ideas while also ensuring equitable opportunities and respect for all of us. Everyone is expected to help establish and maintain an environment where students, staff, and faculty can contribute without fear of personal ridicule, or intolerant or offensive language. If you witness or experience racism, discrimination, micro-aggressions, or other offensive behavior, you are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the course director if you feel comfortable. You can also report these behaviors to the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART) (https://bart.illinois.edu/). Based on your report, BART members will follow up and reach out to students to make sure they have the support they need to be healthy and safe. If the reported behavior also violates university policy, staff in the Office for Student Conflict Resolution may respond as well and will take appropriate action.
Run > Hide > Fight
Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time, so it’s important that we take a minute to prepare for a situation in which our safety could depend on our ability to react quickly. Please see this link for important safety information from the campus police.