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A LABORATORY MANUAL FOR INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS
by Donald E. Simanek
This laboratory manual, completed in printed form in 1998, was converted from WordPerfect to HTML, in 2004. Only the experiments that have links are completed. Introductory material, appendices, and the first semester experiments are now online. Second semester experiments will soon follow. The plan was to include student instructions and instructor's notes. Send comments to the email address at the bottom of the page. I will also include some links to related material, not necessarily in the form of lab experiments.
Notation: There's some inconsistency in equation styles at present, since this was a rush job. Back in 2004 HTML did not support mathematics symbols very well. Some equations are graphics, some are HTML. Some simplifications have been employed, for example: √(2A − x) is the square root of the quantity (2A − x). This is still correct style, but seldom used in textbooks these days. The ideal style for a square root is √2A − x , and one day I'll get around to converting these documents to use that form.
End of line breaks are a headache in HTML. One should always separate quantities and units by a space, as in 4.8 cm. But HTML will do a line break between the 4.8 and the cm unless one uses the non-breaking space entity between them. In many of these documents I used the simpler method of omitting the space. Likewise temperatures should have a space, as in 68 °F. But Celsius does not use the "degree" symbol: 20 C is preferred.
Also, I have not always shown algebraic quantities in italic. Someday I may fix this. Students using word processors are not constrained by HTML limitations, and should use proper Greek letters for algebraic quantities, proper mathematical symbols and italicized equations. Some older browsers may not recognize some symbols, such as the script lower case "L" (ℓ) and h/2π = ℏ (h-bar).
CONTENTS
- Introduction.
- Laboratory Bibliography.
- 1. Significant Figures.
- 2. Measures of Error.
- 3. Propagation of Errors.
- 4. Determinate Errors.
- Summary: Error propagation rules.
- 5. Distribution of Measurements.
- Experimental Errors (non-calculus). Short version of Chapters 3, 4, 5.
- 6. Error Calculations using calculus.
- 7. Graphs.
- 7-b. Using Logarithmic Graph Paper.
- 8. Data Analysis.
- 9. Laboratory Reports.
PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS:
- P-1 Metric calculation and exponential notation. *
- P-2 Study of experimental errors.
- P-3 Simple pendulum. *
- S-1 Vector addition of forces. (Force table.)
- S-2 Problems in equilibrium. *
- S-3 Ladder and crane boom problems.
- S-4 Forces and torques. (Drawing board.)
- M-1 Motion in viscous media.
- M-2 Friction and the inclined plane. *
- M-3 Simple machines.
- M-4 Pulley systems.
- M-5 Torsion pendulum and torsion lathe.
- M-6 Hooke's law. *
- K-1 The acceleration due to gravity. *
- K-2 Atwood's machine.
- K-3 Air track experiments.
- K-4 Projectile motion (spring gun). *
- K-5 Trajectories (air table)
- D-1 One dimensional collisions. (air track)
- D-2 Two dimensional collisions. (air table)
- D-3 Angular momentum and inelastic collisions.
- D-4 Conservation of energy and momentum.
- D-5 Ballistic pendulum. *
- D-6 Angular acceleration.
- D-7 Centripetal force. Related note.
- D-8 Rotational inertia.
PROPERTIES OF MATTER:
THERMAL PHYSICS:
- H-1 Thermal expansion of metals.
- H-2 Specific heat capacity.
- H-3 Heats of transformation.
- H-5 Joule's equivalent.
GASES:
VIBRATIONS AND WAVES:
- W-1 Speed of sound. (resonant tube method).
- W-2 Vibrating strings.
- W-3 Stroboscopic studies of periodic motion.
- W-4 Waves in a coiled spring.
- W-5 Vibration of a spring-mass system.
- General instructions: Optics Laboratory.
- How to View 3-D Pictures.
- Image tutorial.
- Lens tutorial.
- Thin lens ray-tracing program.
- L-1 Geometry of light rays.
- L-2 Thin lenses.
- L-3 Spherical mirrors.
- L-4 Optical instruments.
- L-5 Telescopes.
- L-6 Optics of the eye.
- L-7 Spectrometer. (Index of refraction). *.
- L-8 Wavelength of light. (Diffraction grating). *.
- L-9 Polarization. *.
- L-10 Telecentric Lens Systems.
ELECTRICITY DOCUMENTS:
ELECTRICITY EXPERIMENTS:
- EP-1 Error propagation simulation.
- EP-2 Switches.
- EP-3 Resistivity
- E-1 Measurement of resistance.
- E-2 Resistance of lamps.
- E-3 Voltmeter and ammeter.
- H-4 Wheatstone bridge. (slidewire form)
- E-5 Potentiometer.
- E-6 Temperature dependent resistors.
- E-7 Photodetector and photocell characteristics and use.
- E-8 Electrical resonance; LRC circuits.
- E-9 Capacitance
- EL-1 The oscilloscope.
- EL-2 Rectification.
- EL-3 Vacuum tube characteristics, diode and triode.
- EL-4 Vacuum tube characteristics and amplifier.
- EL-5 Bipolar transistor amplifier.
- EL-6 FET amplifier.
- EL-7 Operational amplifier circuits.
- EL-8 Power supply circuits.
- Radiation safety and procedures.
- MP-1 Geiger-Muller tube.
- MP-2 Half life of a radioactive nuclide.
- MP-3 Absorption of beta particles by aluminum.
- MP-4 Absorption of gamma rays by lead.
- MP-5 Specific charge of the electron.
- MP-6 Chart of the Nuclides
- 1. Physical constants.
- 2. Mathematical tables.
Cartoon © 2001 by John C. Holden.
For additional experiments, using newer apparatus, see the lab manual of the Physics Department, The City College of The City University of New York.
Please send all comments, criticisms, corrections, and additional ideas
to the address shown at the right.
When commenting on a specific document, please reference it
by experiment number, file name or content.
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