PHYS285-18S1 (C) Semester One 2018

Technical and Professional Skills for Physicists

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 19 February 2018
End Date: Sunday, 24 June 2018
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 4 March 2018
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 20 May 2018

Description

A laboratory based course in experimental techniques, data acquisition and analysis, scientific writing and career skills for second-year physics/astronomy students.

A selection of laboratories covering a wide range of techniques in measurement and analysis relevant to physics and astronomy experiments. These include:

• Design of experiments and experimental uncertainties.
• Recording data and writing scientific reports.
• Computerized data acquisition and data analysis.
• Use of equipment such as oscilloscopes, Geiger-Muller counters, and various optical and electrical equipment.
• Library database skills.
• A variety of experiments relevant to physics in the field of optics, spectroscopy, mechanics, electrical circuits, radiation, and condensed matter.

Learning Outcomes

The goals of this course are to develop the experimental, technical and analytical ability of second year physical science students.

Students will have developed the skills to make measurements and acquire and analyse data using a variety of means, including computerized data acquisition and analysis. They will have developed an understanding of the methodology required to set up and perform physics experiments. The students have demonstrated an ability to condense their work into a scientific report.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Prerequisites

(1) PHYS101; (2) MATH102 or EMTH118 (3) MATH170 or EMTH171 or COSC121 or MATH280 or MATH282 or another approved course involving programming. These prerequisites may be replaced by a high level of achievement in level 3 NCEA Physics and Mathematics with Calculus or other background approved by the Head of Department. RP: MATH103 or EMTH119

Restrictions

PHYS281, PHYS282

Recommended Preparation

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Michael Albrow

Lab Technician

Orlon Petterson

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Reports 100% There are 10 reports worth 10% each

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

Please consult the document General Information for Physics and Astronomy Students on the Physics and Astronomy Web Page:
http://www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/courses/PhysicsCourseGeneralInformation.pdf

In particular, you should note the section on Dishonest Practice. In this laboratory course you often will work in pairs or in groups and so your data and possibly graphical information will be identical, but when completing written reports the remainder of the work must be in your own words.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $865.00

International fee $3,788.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Physical & Chemical Sciences .

All PHYS285 Occurrences

  • PHYS285-18S1 (C) Semester One 2018