PHYS 202L: College Physics II Laboratory
PHYS 202L: College Physics II Laboratory
Professor: Dr. Jason Best
Office: Byrd Science Center 115
Office Hours: MWF 9a-11a
Required Lab Manual: PHYS 202 Lab Manual, by Jason Best
Course Overview and Objectives: PHYS 202L is a one-credit-hour laboratory
course that is to be taken simultaneously with PHYS 202 College
Physics II. The objectives of the lab are to demonstrate principles
taught in the lecture course; develop skills in report writing;
develop skills in data analysis and simple error analysis; and develop
skills in experimental technique. Among the specific
content areas to be addressed are:
· electrostatics. This includes understanding charge as a basic
property, the force between charges, electric fields, potential (and
its relationship to potential energy), and capacitance.
· electric currents. This includes understanding the definitions and
interplay among current, voltage, resistance, power, the parameters
affecting these values, and the structure of basic circuits.
· magnetism. This includes understanding the pole as a basic(?) property,
similarities and differences between magnetic properties and electric
properties (such as fields and forces), and the importance of
planetary magnetism.
· optics. This includes understanding geometrical concepts such as
reflection and refraction (and the interaction between them), and
physical concepts such as interference, diffraction, and polarization.
· relativity. This includes understanding the limitations of classical
physics, the significance of the Michelson-Morley experiment, the
postulates of special and general relativity, and the implication of
these theories (such as time dilation, mass-energy equivalence,
and gravitational lensing).
· quantum mechanics. This includes understanding the limitations of
classical atomic theory, radiative transfer, quantization of energy
and light, and the quantum structure of the atom.