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. You're learning experience (and experimental success!) critically depends on being well-prepared prior to the laboratory sessions. Solid preparation is also the most efficient approach to any laboratory activity (or research problem), and will save significant amount of time in carrying out the analysis and writing laboratory reports.
You will have one lab partner for each experiment. You are expected to rotate partners for every new experiment.

Lab notebooks

Keep two laboratory notebooks. Your laboratory notebook is your record of your work in the lab. Use one notebook for the odd-numbered labs (first, third, fifth etc.) and the other for the even-numbered labs (second, fourth, sixth etc.). While your laboratory instructor is grading your report, you will use the other laboratory notebook for your work during the lab.
The laboratory notebook must be a bound, ruled notebook. Any bound, ruled notebook will do, as long as you keep it neat and in one piece.

Lab reports

All of your reports must be individually written. You are encouraged to share data with your partner and to discuss the lab, but the individual reports must be your own work (we will notice!).
The laboratory report is due at the beginning of the following laboratory session. It will be graded and returned to you the following week in your laboratory session. Thus, you have one week to write a laboratory report following the last session of a given lab.

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 somehow miss a laboratory, consult with your laboratory instructor immediately to do the lab in another laboratory session during the same week. Laboratory setups are changed out the Friday prior to the start of a new lab -- no makeups will be allowed after that Friday.
Late lab reports can be handed in for reduced credit (up to 10% deduction). You have two vouchers, which entitle you to turn in labs up to one week late without penalty.
All reports except the final are due by one week later after the experiment was done.
The lectures will provide information necessary to successfully complete the labs, as well as teaching important experimental techniques. We will also discuss applications of course material to current physics experiments and technology.
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.
Excused absences follow the same criteria as in Physics 10x and 2xx. In extreme cases it may be possible to triple-up a lab group, with permission of the instructor and the lab TA.