| CODE | PHY1119 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Fundamentals of Experimental Physics | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Physics | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The core concepts in experimental physics are illustrated in this study-unit. These basic tenants of experimental physics are used widely in the practical areas of physics and are used to demonstrate many impactful results in phenomenology that include laboratory best practices, identification alleviation of errors, formal report writing and error handling. The study-unit will contain a short course in which these themes will be explored with an emphasis on the calculation of errors. Programming has become a core skill crucial to every scientist, in this study-unit, students will confront a small number of programming based practical projects in which they will learn a number of applications of physics in numerical analysis and simulations. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to provide students will the background and tools to carry out both physical experiments and some numerical projects. Students will become familiarized with widely used procedures which will better connect theoretical results with experimental realities while understanding the numerous practical considerations that must be taken in these cases. The study-unit will also train students in the formal presentation and communication of scientific results. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Consider appropriate methodological strategies to obtain the objectives of an experiment; - Connect the results of theory with necessities of laboratory work; - Understand best practices of health and safety in the laboratory; - List and explain experimental errors and how they can be mitigated or reduced; - Practice data handling in Python including plotting and data analysis features (spreadsheet sheet programs may also be used); - Describe the derivation of errors from first principles and incorporate them into the experimental results; - Communicate physics reasoning in oral and in written form; - Be familiar experimental and numerical methods in order to suggest possible improvements and further investigations; - Understand the difference between validity, reliability, and accuracy of experiments; - Follow a prescribed experimental procedure to obtain the desired result; - Obtain a practical, hands-on insight into the various principles and theories covered by experiment. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Carry out an experiment given an objective using laboratory apparatus; - Link theoretical predictions with experimental results; - Implement health and safety principles in all aspects of laboratory work; - Identify and reduce experimental errors; - Work out all aspects of data analysis in Python (spreadsheet programs may also be used initially); - Perform error analysis of results; - Devise precautions to limit the effect of sources of errors; - Observe good data measurement standards and compute results together with associated uncertainties; - Produce a report in an accepted format detailing the work done and the results achieved; - Use typesetting software to write and format a report; - Develop a Standard Operating Procedure for a process/use of a device; - Workout an uncertainty budget based on error propagation. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - W. F. Smith, Experimental Physics - Principles and Practice for the Laboratory. CRC Press, 2020. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: At least an intermediate in Physics and Pure Mathematics | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practical | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Miguel Andrea Zammit Rebecca Briffa Maria Caruana Andrea De Marco Alessio Magro Jackson Said Charles V. Sammut |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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