Outline:

This course builds on the skills acquired during the Physics foundation practical course undertaken in year 1. Students initially undertake one intermediate level experiment which lasts for approximately four weeks, and has a more prescriptive script. It is designed to act as a bridge between the experiment undertaken in the first year and the third year level experiment which is undertaken during the second half of module and lasts for approximately six weeks. This third year level experiment is more advanced than those previously encountered with more complex instrumentation, to introduce students to a research style project. Students will also have the opportunity to acquire computing skills for data analysis and preparation of scientific reports: data is analysed using advanced statistical analysis techniques and data analysis specific software such as Origin Pro.

Aims:

This module is intended for Natural Science students majoring in Physics and aims to provide those students with the dedicated opportunity to acquire the same intermediate level and advanced level skills in practical physics as their undergraduate counterparts from the Department of Physics & Astronomy.

Teaching and Learning Methodology:

This module is delivered via approximately 60 hours of laboratory work. For the first intermediate level experiment students should make an initial attempt to overcome difficulties as they arise before consulting with a demonstrator. Students will keep a full clear and contemporaneous account of their thoughts, actions and observations. Students working on the final advanced level investigation are not given prescriptive scripts to work from, but rather dossiers of information which fall short of complete prescriptions. Information is prescriptive where necessary, for instance where safety or the correct operation of equipment is involved, but in other respects good progress depends on the student seeking out additional information, either by discussion with demonstrators, expert technical advice in the Department, or from the literature. For both experiments students prepare a formal report based on the record kept in the laboratory notebook. The advice given to students on good practice in the keeping of the lab notebook and the preparation of the formal report is the same for both investigations but their application is in the more demanding context of the long experiment.

In addition to timetabled laboratory hours, it is expected that students engage in self-study in order to understand their experiments and prepare formal reports. Furthermore, for the Treatment of Experimental Data component, students work independently outside formal class, through an instruction text designed to introduce the new techniques. The Lab Course Supervisors may be available for any students who request individual help.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course students should:

Have experienced the capability of performing a focused background literature research on the topic of the experiment.
	Prepare a plan and timeline for an experiment to be performed based on preliminary available information including the setting of goals and minimum requirement for successful completion of the experiment objectives.
	Have improved your skills and confidence in the acquisition and analysis of experimental data through the performance of one short experiment and one long experiment with more complex instrumentation.
	Make a contemporaneous account of thoughts, actions and observations in a laboratory journal, including their impact on experimental accuracy and/or precision.
	Have the ability to record salient details of experimental apparatus in figures, and use sketches to explain or support the contemporaneous account.
	Have further developed both the skills and confidence in the acquisition and analysis of experimental data, including identifying limiting factors, experimental uncertainties, and stating any assumptions made.
	Have the ability to record experimental data in a clear, concise and contemporaneous manner, stating clearly the experimental conditions to understand or replicate measurements if necessary.
	Condense the information contained in the record made in the laboratory notebooks into a concise, but precise and complete formal report of the experiment in word-processed form.
	Experience a degree of independence in exploring possible developments in the experiment goals as they are completed.