TAMUCC Physics I Lab Manual

89 Pages·2016·1.96 MB·English

by  Spirko, Jeffery

TAMUCC Physics I Lab Manual
 PHYS 1401 – General Physics I (Algebra-based)
 PHYS 2425 – University Physics I (Calculus-based)
Summer 2016 Edition. Prepared by Dr. Jeffery Spirko, based on material by Galina Reid and
previous instructors.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 1
Lab Syllabus – Lab Policies 2
Lab Syllabus – Do’s and Don’ts of Lab Reports 5
Summer 2016 Lab Schedule 8
Pre-Lab 0: Mathematical Exercises 9
Pre-Lab 1: Measurements and Calculations 13
Pre-Lab 2: Kinematics in One Dimension 14
Pre-Lab 3: Free Fall 15
Pre-Lab 4: Projectile Motion 16
Pre-Lab 5: Vector Addition and Equilibrium 17
Pre-Lab 6: Atwood’s Machine 18
Pre-Lab 7: Friction 19
Pre-Lab 8: Archimedes’ Principle 20
Pre-Lab 9: Motion on an Incline 22
Pre-Lab 10: Circular Motion 23
Pre-Lab 11: Linear Momentum and Collisions 24
Pre-Lab 12: Ballistic Pendulum 25
Lab 0 – Introductory Excel Exercises 26
Lab 1 – Measurements and Error Propagation 30
Lab 2 – Graphing, Kinematics in One Dimension 36
Lab 3 – Free Fall, Choosing a Measurement Technique 41
Lab 4 – Projectile Motion 45
Lab 5 – Vectors and Force Equilibrium 49
Lab 6 – Atwood’s Machine 53
Lab 7 – Friction 58
Lab 8 – Archimedes’ Principle and Buoyancy 62
Lab 9 – Inclined Plane 68
Lab 10 – Circular Motion and Centripetal Acceleration 72
Lab 11 – Collisions, Momentum, and Energy Conservation 77
Lab 12 – Ballistic Pendulum 83
Appendix A: Math Topics 86
Appendix B: Sample Data Report 89

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Lab Syllabus – Lab Policies
Lab Safety
Lab Safety is our highest priority. Students must be informed about safety issues and must obey
any safety rules posted in the lab or given by the instructor.
 University policy, OSHA regulations, and common sense require that all students are
informed about laboratory safety before doing anything remotely dangerous in the
lab. You must be registered for SMTE 0095, a zero-credit, zero-cost course, and you
must complete that course on Blackboard.
 Complete SMTE 0095 Physics Safety Seminar by the Census Date. During a long
semester, this is the 12th class day. During a 5-week summer session, this is Friday of
the 1st week.
 Closed shoes are required by University policy.
 You must occasionally wear impact-resistant goggles. We have several pair of these
in the lab, but you may want to bring your own.
 You must have access to chemical lab goggles. These must be goggles with indirect
venting to prevent chemicals from getting in your eyes. Check the lab instructions ahead
of time to know what kind of eye protection is required for what labs. Here are some
sources of chemical goggles:
o University bookstore (~$10)
o Home Depot, Lowes (~$4)
o Amazon.com (~$5)
General Information
 All experiments will be performed in groups (maximum 3 students per group), and one report
will be submitted for each group.
 Students must participate in the lab activity to get credit. If you miss a lab, help your lab
partners prepare the report. Later, you must make up the lab activity to get credit for it.
 Plagiarism is forbidden. This means you can’t cut-and-paste from the lab instructions, take
data from another lab group without giving credit, or copy text from any book or
website. Plagiarized work will get no credit, and we may refer the case to the office of
Judicial Affairs. According to http://academicaffairs.tamucc.edu/Rules_Procedures/, even
accidental plagiarism is a violation.
 All reports will be graded electronically based on the rubric posted on the report submission
page.
 Before each Lab:
o Prelab Practice: The pre-lab practice must be studied before coming to lab.
o Lab Instructions: Read them so you are somewhat familiar with the procedure.
o Lab Reports: All reports will be due before the next lab session. The last lab is due
following the same pattern, as if there was another lab. If you're unsure of
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something, turn in what you have and ask your instructor in lab. They may allow you
to submit a revised lab report and not count it as being late.
o Late reports will be accepted at the discretion of the lab instructor but with the likely
penalty of up to 10% per day.
 During each Lab:
o Prelab Practice: We’ll go over the practice in class.
o There will be a pre/post QUIZ during first part of each lab. The Prelab portion of the
QUIZ will be similar to the pre-lab practice for each lab. The Post-lab portion of the
QUIZ will contain questions related to the prior experiment.
o Make sure you get all of your measurements and save a copy of the
data. Suggestion: Take your data in a spreadsheet like Excel.
o The analysis can be done in lab, but it can be completed at home.
 Homework After each Lab:
o Finish the data analysis.
o Complete the lab report. Copy your data tables into a word processor like Word.
o Prepare for the next lab.
 The lab grade is 25% of the overall class grade and will be the weighted average of the
following items:
o (20%) Pre-lab quizzes
o (50%) Data reports (See "Lab Report Format" from Home Page)
o (30%) Formal Lab Reports (See "Lab Report Format" from Home Page)
 There is a makeup day at the end of the semester. If you have a valid excuse, you can make
up one lab with 100% of grade. Otherwise it can be only 85%. You MUST CONTACT
THE INSTRUCTOR at least 1 week before to make up a lab during one of those days.
Lab Reports
We have slightly unusual lab report formats, but they are designed to prepare students for
writing scientific papers. Academic publishers do most of the formatting for authors, even to
the point of placing Figures and Tables where they look best. Additionally, every article to be
published requires an Abstract. So we’ve worked these elements into the lab report format.
Formal Lab Report
This format closely matches what academic publishers want for journal articles. A Formal Lab
Report contains:
 Heading – We’d like this to be at the top of every page, which all word processors can do.
o Title of Lab Report
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o List of Authors
o Date of Lab
 Abstract – This is a one or two paragraphs that summarizes the lab report. It roughly
follows the Main Body, but is not divided into sections. See the Data Report format
below for more info.
 Main Body– This is the main text of your lab report. Divide this text into sections:
o Introduction – for the reader, not from the Instructions!
o Methodology – Not a “standard operating procedure”. Just describe what you
did, with enough detail that a knowledgeable person could figure it out.
o Discussion – Describe the measurement results, analysis, and results of the
analysis. Be clear about how each value was obtained. Don’t list lots of similar
values. Give a sample value or range of values, and refer to the Tables for the
rest. Intermediate calculation results aren’t needed here.
o Conclusion – A sentence or two that summarizes the scientific results (not the
skills gained). For example, you might compare the results of your data analysis
with the expected values to say whether your results support or appear to
contradict the theory. The theories we test are well-established, so if the theory is
contradicted, you should explain where the errors may have come from. The
conclusion must depend on your numerical results! It cannot contradict your
results.
 Tables and Figures – All of your results of measurements and analysis should be
presented in Tables and/or Figures. Each must be labeled (Table 1, etc.) and
captioned. Do beautify your Tables. Each data point in a Table must have:
o A label in the row or column heading. This should include the name and/or
symbol, along with the units in parentheses.
o The value with a reasonable number of digits.
o The expected accuracy of the value (when requested).
In a graph, the axes must be labeled with a name or symbol, with units in parentheses.
Data Reports
We understand how time-consuming writing lab reports can be. So we created this format to
speed the process while still giving you valuable experience and giving us something to grade. A
Data Report contains:
 Heading – We’d like this to be at the top of every page, which all word processors can do.
o Title of Lab Report
o List of Authors
o Date of Lab
 Abstract – This is a one or more paragraphs that summarizes the lab activity. It roughly
follows the Main Body (above), but is not divided into sections.
o The Introduction should be 1-3 sentences.
o The Methodology should be fairly general. Only a few sentences are needed. This
is an Abstract, so more detail would be provided in the Main Body.
o The Discussion should contain just a “taste” of the data. The final result of the
analysis should be given. If there is a list of final values, give the most important
one or a typical value.
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o The Conclusion should be 1-3 sentences. In a Formal Report, it might be copied
from the Main Body.
 Tables and Figures – Each must be labeled (Table 1, etc.) and captioned.
Note that there is no Main Body (the longest part of most Lab Reports).
A sample report is located at: https://goo.gl/Kfl57H (lower-case ell in the middle)
The corresponding spreadsheet is also online, at https://goo.gl/apFZ5U.
Notice that the table was formatted for presentation in the report.
Lab Syllabus – Do’s and Don’ts of Lab Reports
 Introduction – Give the experiment context and a goal. Don’t copy the introduction
from the instructions. Don’t even paraphrase it.
 Methodology – Describe what you did.
o Feel free to use first-person plural (“we”). Don’t use “I” because all authors are
listed and nobody knows who wrote that particular sentence. Some publishers
don’t like first person, but we don’t mind.
o Don’t use second person (i.e. “you”) in your reports. This also means
you shouldn’t use imperative sentences (which are telling the reader what to
do with an implied “you”).
o Don’t say “we recorded the values in Excel” or words to that effect.
o Don’t describe your data analysis or calculations. Stick to the experimental
activity with the equipment.
o Don’t write it as instructions. Avoid using a list format.
 Discussion – Summarize the results and discuss them.
o If there is a physical quantity that is a final result, give its value.
o Discuss the uncertainty (expected error) and if appropriate, the actual error.
o Describe any sources of error in your experiment. Note: you should not use
"human error" as a source of error. The term is ambiguous.
 If you make a mistake during the experiment, just fix it by discarding
those results and repeating that part of the experiment.
 If a competent lab worker can't do better, then say something specific
about the kind of error that is introduced by the person. This is a
measurement uncertainty.
 Conclusion - Make sure you provide a conclusion that is based on your quantitative
results! Simply presenting the numbers isn’t enough. You must interpret them for the
reader. For example:
o As seen in Table 5, Joe was the fastest walker, with a speed of 1.5 ± 0.3 m/s.
Within the calculated uncertainties, nobody else could have walked faster than
Joe.
 Abstract – This should be a brief summary of everything in the lab activity.
o One sentence of introduction is enough for the Abstract.
o In the Abstract, your methodology can be very brief. Just say what quantities you
measured and roughly how you measured them.
o Provide a summary of the discussion, including the important results.
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o Summarize the conclusion.
o In a Formal Lab Report, write the Abstract last. It can only summarize what is in
the rest of the report; it cannot introduce a new idea or conclusion.
 Be careful about sentence structure and wording, especially sentence fragments and run-
ons. This means pass your report through Grammar Check and Spell Check before
submitting. Yes, this is a physics class, but a well written paper is important regardless.
 Refer to your tables and graphs in the discussion (i.e. the abstract or the main body),
especially when talking about the results. For example:
…experimentaly, π was found to be 3.23 (Table 1), which is different from the
accepted value of π by ...
In the example sentence, we state our experimental value for Pi and then add Table 1 in
parenthesis at the end; this directs the reader to refer to Table 1 if desired.
 In a sentence, units go next to the number.
 In a table, units go next to the heading, in parentheses.
 All tables and figures must have captions! They should be descriptive but concise. Like
the Lab Syllabus says, describe which values are measured, which values are calculated,
and roughly how calculated values were obtained. For Example:
o Table 2. The volume of a cylinder. The volume was calculated from the
measured diameter and the measured height of the can. The nominal volume
was provided on the can.
 The example caption covers all the requirements without being too wordy.
Other Mistakes to Avoid
 Formatting: Adhere to our Data Report or Formal Report format.
 Our rulers and meter sticks are numbered in centimeters. 1 cm = 0.01 m
 Stopwatches that show 2 digits for fractions of a second are showing hundredths.
 When you subtract similar values, the result is significantly less accurate than the
original values.
 Don’t round until you finish all of your calculations.
 Round uncertainties to 1 or 2 significant figures.
 Round values to the same number of decimal places as their uncertainties. You don’t
want to throw away any important detail, but there’s no sense presenting garbage digits,
either.
 Include units, in figure/table labels and when units are mentioned in the text.
 Check your plots! Make sure the values on the graph match the values in the data table.
 Include your trendline equation in the graph. That’s what the graph is created for.

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Makeup Policy
Lab is a vital part of the Physics experience, so it’s a required part of the course. There are only
12 or so labs, and each one is important. Generally, don’t miss lab. Adjust your work schedule
so that it doesn’t conflict with lab. If you do miss a lab, we still want you to get that experience.
Allowable Absences
Students may miss lab under the following circumstances:
 With 24-hour minimum advance notice, for school-related events, job interviews, NCAA
athletic competitions, etc.
 Without advance notice, for emergencies only. Examples of emergencies are a car
accident, court subpoena, doctor appointment you can’t reschedule, death or sickness in
the family. Documentation is required within one week of a missed lab for an
emergency. The documentation may include an accident report, citation, doctor’s
excuse.

MakeUp Methods
To make up a missed lab, a student may:
 Attend another lab section. This only works if the other lab section is doing the
same lab you missed. Use the procedures below to communicate and get
permission. After doing the lab, you should get together with your normal lab group and
help them write the report. You can use either set of data (yours or theirs) in the lab
report. Hand it in with your lab group as usual.
 Exempted from lab. This is only allowed if you cannot make up a lab for unforeseen
circumstances. Your instructor must agree that it was unavoidable. In this rare case, it
can be exempted from the lab grade computation.
 Accept a zero (0).
Lab Sections
Look at the Course Schedule posted on http://sail.tamucc.edu/ (don’t log in, it’s in the lower left
corner) to see what other lab sections exist. Remember that PHYS 1401 and PHYS 2425 have
cross-listed lab sections.
All of the lab instructors are part of our course on Blackboard. To contact one of us, use
Blackboard Email to start the conversation.

Communication and Permission
Talk to your lab instructor as soon as you know you will miss lab, especially if you are an
athlete. Also, students making up labs must:
 At least 24 hours ahead of time, send an email, copied to both your lab instructor and the
lab instructor who oversees the lab you want to attend.
 In the email, introduce yourself and say why you think you should be allowed a
makeup. Make sure to include in the message:
o Your full name,
o Your lab section (number and day/time)
o Date and title of the lab,
o Date you want to make it up
 When attending the other lab section, bring a piece of paper with the same
information. (Maybe print the email.)
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Summer 2016 Lab Schedule
Lab Schedule (Summer 2016)
 Mon May 30 – Memorial Day - No Lab
 Tue May 31 –Introduction to Physics Lab, Math Exercise, Excel Exercise
1. Wed Jun 1 – Measurements
Above are due Monday June 6, 8:00 am.
2. Mon Jun 6 – Kinematics in One Dimension
3. Tue Jun 7 – Free Fall
4. Wed Jun 8– Projectile Motion*
Above are due Monday, June 13, 8:00 am.
5. Mon Jun 13 – Vector Addition and Force Equilibrium
6. Tue Jun 14 – Atwood’s Machine
7. Wed Jun 15 – Friction*
Above are due Monday June 20, 8:00 am.
8. Mon Jun 20 – Archimedes’ Principle and Buoyancy
9. Tue Jun 21 – Inclined Plane
10. Wed Jun 22 – Circular Motion and Centripetal Acceleration*
Above are due Monday June 27, 8:00 am.
11. Mon Jun 27 – Collisions: Momentum and Energy
12. Tue Jun 28 – Ballistic Pendulum
 Wed Jun 29 – No Lab
Above are due Thu June 30, 11:59 pm.

* Labs 4, 7, and 10 are Formal Lab Reports
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Pre-Lab 0: Mathematical Exercises
This exercise for the students’ benefit. It’s not for credit. The answers are on the page after all
of the questions.
1. Scientific Notation: Review the linked page about Scientific Notation. Make sure you
can enter numbers into your calculator in Scientific Notation, and that you can interpret
numbers that the calculator reports to you in Scientific notation. Please note:
1. The “e notation” is used in calculators and when programming computers, but it
should not be used on paper or in scientific reports. Use notation similar
to this in reports: 6.02×1023
2. Be careful about square roots and division. On some calculators, division will
require parentheses in the denominator.
Express the following in scientific notation:
1. 38,000 =
2. 34,598,000 =
3. 0.0702 =
4. 0.281 =
5. 0.002 =
2. Significant Figures: Review the linked page about Significant Figures. Understand
that when a value is given to you, it is only as accurate as the significant digits it contains.
In general, you should report results with only as many digits as are needed to accurately
represent your value. Technically, a non-decimal number with zeroes at the end has
fewer significant figures than digits (e.g. 120 has 2 significant figures because the 0
doesn’t count). But, if you are presented with a value in that form, take it in context. Do
not reduce your calculation to one significant figure just because one of the data points
happens to have a value of 200. If the other data points have 2 significant figures,
assume that for this point as well. Please note:
 During a calculation, you should not round your values. Use the value that
the calculator or computer gives you. The “Ans” button in the calculator is your
friend. You should also learn how to save temporary values, so that you can use
them again in a few minutes. In Excel, let the computer do the calculating. Don’t
do calculations by hand, just to type them into Excel.
How many significant figures are in the following numbers?
6. 80
7. 85.0
8. 0.1492
9. 0.000587
3. Order of Operations: Review the linked page about the Order of Operations. The
biggest out-of-order problem we encounter is accidentally splitting the denominator of a
fraction. For example, if you want to do the following calculation:
1.2+3.4

5.6×107
There are many acceptable ways of typing this:
 (Preferred): (1.2+3.4)/5.6ᴇ7
 (Optional): (1.2+3.4)/(5.6*10^7)
 (Excel): =(1.2+3.4)/5.6e7
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Notice that the ᴇ symbol is being used for the “EE” or “Exp” button on the calculator.
This is the symbol that usually comes up on the screen. In Microsoft Excel, you would
use just the letter “e”. Note that Excel requires you to start a formula with an equals
sign. The most important thing about this is to make sure that the 107 doesn’t “pop out”
of the fraction.
1.2+3.4/5.6*10^7 means 1.2+3.4⋅107
5.6
There are two different things that went wrong, and each should be carefully avoided.
Also, be careful about things like (1⁄2𝑥). It’s hard to tell whether the writer means
1⁄(2𝑥) or if they mean (1⁄2)𝑥. Generally, in text it’s the first choice, but in a calculator
or in Excel, it’s the second.
Evaluate the following using your calculator:
453⋅1234
10.
13+94
123−4
11. +75
32−5
12. 6.67×10−11+700×6.59×1012
6.02×1023
13. 0.92512⁄3
14. 12+√33
15. (6×103)1⁄2
4. Algebraic Manipulations: Review the linked page if necessary. Very occasionally, we
must factor or solve a quadratic equation. Expand the following (i.e. carry out the
multiplication and write an expression without parentheses):
16. (𝑥+3)(𝑥−3)
17. (𝑥2+3𝑥−7)(𝑥−8)
In the following, factorize and write an expression that is a product of two factors (i.e.
make them look like the questions above):
18. 𝑥2+2𝑥−3
19. 𝛼2−𝛽2
5. Proportions: Much of the math we deal with is the math of proportionality, possibly
with powers involved. Do remember that you can move a multiplicative factor into the
2 2𝑥
numerator (i.e. 𝑥 = ) and that dividing is the same as multiplying by the reciporical
3 3
2 2 1 2
(i.e. ÷4 = ⋅ = ). Solve for 𝑥 in each of the following:
3 3 4 3⋅4
20. 𝑘𝑥 = 𝑚𝑔
21. 𝑞1𝑞2 = 𝑘𝑥
𝑥2
𝛼 5𝑥
22. =
𝛽 𝛿
6. Solving Linear Equations: This is the second most common type of manipulation.
In each case, solve for the indicated variable:
23. Solve for 𝑥: 2𝑥−7 = 11
24. Solve for 𝑦: 𝑎𝑦+𝑏𝑥 = 𝑐
25. Solve for 𝑧: 3 = 12−7𝑧
26. Solve for 𝑘: 3𝑐 = 2𝑏−7𝑘
7. Solving Quadratic Equations: Very occasionally, we will have to solve a quadratic
equation. We won’t do it much, but it is an important skill for dealing with projectile
motion. In case you forget, the standard form of a quadratic equation is:
𝐴𝑥2+𝐵𝑥+𝐶 = 0
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