New Advanced Labs collection resources

Ideal Gas Laws

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:04:22 EST

This lab manual contains descriptions of a series of laboratories covering the ideal gas laws and ideal gas processes. These experiments are designed for introductory high school and college introductory physics, chemistry, and engineering courses. Each experiment includes the intended audience, learning goals, and a short introduction to the physics. The experiments include Boyle’s Law, work done in an isothermal process, adiabatic processes, thermodynamic cycles, and the heat capacity of a gas. These labs are designed for an adiabatic gas law apparatus developed at Andrews University.

2012 BFY Conference, W20: Frontiers in Contemporary Physics Education - Gold Nanoparticle Photoabsorption Lab Experiment & Handouts

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:21:33 EST

This file includes the lab manual write-up for the Au nanosphere and nanorod photoabsorption and scattering Lab experiment for the 2nd year Experimental Contemporary Physics Lab Course. In addition, several handouts are provided along with some additional information for instructors. This work was supported in part by by NSF Awards: ECCS #0701703, DMR #0707740 & DMR #1105121. The experiment can readily be upgraded to an advanced lab by giving more responsibility to the students for lab setup (give them an optical breadboard and parts) and by asking for more in-depth analysis and questions which require more knowledge and experimental skills to answer.

W20: Frontiers in Contemporary Physics Education - The Pedagogy

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:08:23 EST

This file contains a description of the 2nd year undergraduate experimental contemporary physics lab course. It includes a) Course logistics, b) Pedagogical Intent for Course, c) Course syllabus, d) Miami Physics Dept. Group of Lab Experiments within the Research Model, and e) Methods of Assessment of Student Learning that we have used.

Students' and Instructor's Impressions of Ill-structured Capstone Projects in an Advanced Electronics Lab

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:50:50 EST

During spring 2010 six students enrolled in an advanced electronics lab worked in pairs on ill-structured capstone projects. They designed electronic circuitry to automate experiments that were completed in a previous advanced physics lab. Some ill-structured features of these capstone projects included open-ended goals, limited guidance from the instructor and the possibility of multiple solution paths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the students and the instructor of the class, before and after the students worked on these ill-structured capstone projects to gauge the participants' expectations of the projects before they began and their views about these projects after they were completed. We report on the pre- and post-project impressions of the students and instructors regarding this ill-structured learning experience.

Wave optics and interferometry

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:20:08 EST

For many purposes, you can consider light to propagate as rays, explaining phenomena such as shadows or imaging with a pin-hole camera. Even refraction of light at interfaces between transparent matter or vacuum can be understood in the framework of ray optics by introducing an index of refraction n and using Snell’s laws of refraction. This explains lenses, prisms, or effects such as mirages. However, light is an electromagnetic wave. You can only neglect the wave nature of light and use a ray description if all sizes are much larger than the wavelength of light. And even this is only true if you have completely “incoherent” light, for example from the sun or from a light bulb. Things entirely change if sizes become small, or if you have pure light of a single color as it can be generated by a laser. In today's lab we will explore both of these cases and explore the wave nature of light. We will also use light to carry out two precision measurements. We will measure the index of refraction of air, and the tiny displacement of a piezo actuator.

Observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:37:21 EST

Describes an experiment for the temperature measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background. A radiometer is used to measure the intensity of the sky signal at 10 GHz. The radiometer is calibrated to reduce systematic effects, and the signal from a cryogenically cooled reference load is periodically measured to catch changes in the gain of the amplifier circuit over time.

Doppler-free Laser Spectroscopy

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:37:10 EST

Instructional material presented at W34 at the Beyond the First Year Laboratory conference and part of W36 “Advanced & Intermediate Laboratories” at the 2012 AAPT summer meeting. A laboratory manual, a complete list of equipment needed, and experimental tips are included. The main goals for the experiments are: • To measure hyperfine splitting of atomic energy levels in 87Rb. • To become familiar with optical techniques • To become familiar with Michelson interferometry and measurement calibration

A mechanical analog of nuclear magnetic resonance

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:37:01 EST

A mechanical analog apparatus for teaching Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is assembled of PVC, an air-bearing, a magnetic sphere, two sheet magnets, and a pair of Helmholtz coils. The magnetic sphere spins in the air-bearing due to turbine torque and acts as an ensemble of protons in the NMR system. The Helmholtz coils allow us to supply an AC magnetic field to perturb the sphere and search for resonance. The sheet magnets are on a slide. By moving them closer or further from the air bearing, we adjust the magnetic field at the sphere. The field at the air bearing is relatively uniform.

Experiment on diffusion in aqueous solutions

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:36:50 EST

Describes an experiment to observe diffusion and laminar flow of aqueous solutions in a microfluidic circuit. Activities include acquisition of digital images with microscope, extraction of quantitative information from image, and fitting of data to model equation.

Nanotubes

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:10:21 EST

The well-defined structure of nanotubes makes them ideal for demonstrating the influence the structure of the end of an Atomic Force Microscope tip has on a measured image. These materials describe the basics of operating an Atomic Force Microscope and imaging a carbon nanotube sample in both contact mode and dynamic force mode. An introduction to how the AFM scans the surface and interprets interactions into 3D images and information on image analysis is provided in a supplemental document. The experiment was performed during the Introduction to Nanoscale Imaging with the Atomic Force Microscope workshop at the 2009 Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories.

Studying Phase Transition With a Strain Gage

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:02:07 EST

In this experiment, we study the phase transition of chromium by directly measuring the volume change. Several important thermodynamical concepts will also be navigated.

Faraday's Effect

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:54:35 EST

in this experiment the students will explore the idea of propagation of light through an isotropic media under the influence of external magnetic field.

Band Structure and Electrical Conductivity in Semiconductors

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 20:37:23 EST

In this experiment, we will, 1. understand how conductivity in semiconductors depends on carrier concentration and mobility, and how these depend on temperature, 2. distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic temperature regimes and identify the applicable temperature range from an examination of measured data, 3. appreciate and utilize the advantages of the four-probe resistance measurement technique, 4. calculate the energy band gap for doped Si and pure Ge, 5. calculate the temperature dependent coefficient of the majority carriers, 6. through experimental realizations, appreciate a physical understanding of the band gap structure of semiconductors.

Synthesis and Ferroelectric Properties of KNO3 Films

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 20:18:19 EST

In this experiment students will learn, 1. to make a thin layer of KNO3 with the melt technique 2. how moisture affects the ferroelectric properties of KNO3, 3. how temperatures affects the coercive field and spontaneous polarization of KNO3, and 4. the role of crystal structure in determining the material properties.

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for materials analysis and discovering "the atomic number"

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:50:15 EST

In this experiment students use XRF spectroscopy to analyze a sample’s elemental composition. From the characteristic X-ray energies, Moseley’s Law, a proof of the existence of the atomic number, is verified. The atomic number increases in regular steps with an increase in the characteristic X-ray energy. We will use this relationship to find the Rydberg’s energy constant and screening coefficient for K X-rays. This lab is designed for the student to learn to: 1. differentiate between characteristic X-rays and Bremsstrahlung radiations, 2. use characteristic X-rays to identify elements, 3. acquire a spectrum, calibrate it and use it for qualitative (element identification) as well as quantitative (elemental concentration) analysis, and finally, 4. verify Moseley’s law and the validity of an atomic number.

Blackbody Radiation and the Solar Photosphere Temperature

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:50:09 EST

The basic goal of this experiment is the determination of the solar surface temperature from the relative intensities of the spectrum sampled at a number of wavelengths from 450 to 880 nm. The sampling is determined by a set of broadband interference filters that modulate the light intensity measured by the photocurrent in a reverse biased silicon diode. If the detailed characteristics of the filters and photodiode were all initially well known, a single set of measurements of sunlight through the filter set would suffice. In the absence of such information, the light from a tungsten lamp at different temperatures will be used to establish the appropriate calibrations. In addition, sunlight is also reddened by the atmosphere, which differentially absorbs the blue end of the spectrum. This effect can be corrected by measuring the spectral intensities as a function of zenith angle. Finally, least squares techniques determine the solar temperature by modeling the data with the Planck spectral distribution function. The experimental setup was developed by Professor Carl Akerlof at The University of Michigan. The experiment was performed during the Blackbody Radiation and the Solar Surface Temperature workshop at the 2009 Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories.

Adiabatic Processes

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:50:02 EST

This lab manual describe an experiment using Physics Enterprise's adiabatic gas law apparatus to verify various gas law relationships. Pressure-volume plots illustrating the ideal gas law, Boyle's law and the adiabatic gas law are examined and the ratio of specific heat at constant pressure to constant volume (gamma) is extracted. Pressure-volume plots of a complete cycle is analyzed as well. The experiment was performed during the Adiabatic Compression of Gases workshop at the 2009 Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories.

Simple undergraduate lab experiment showing the quantized conductance of nanocontacts

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:49:51 EST

Describes an undergraduate experiment on the quantized conductance of nanocontacts. The basic experiment may be performed with very little equipment beyond a digital oscilloscope. A method to explain quantized conductance to undergraduate students is also presented.

Active learning in intermediate optics through class tutorials and concept building laboratories

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:49:35 EST

We have been modifying our intermediate optics class and laboratory with a focus on improving student learning through the use of active engagement. To facilitate this process we developed a two pronged solution. For the classroom we created a series of tutorials to help the students use the mathematics and techniques of derivations, apply these solutions to other problems, and develop a stronger conceptual foundation in intermediate optics class. In the optics laboratories we developed an approach that relies upon direct confrontation of misconceptions, predictions, collection of data to support or refute the predictions, reconciliation, discussion, and leading questions rather than a series of detailed, cookbook-like instructions as might be found in a traditional laboratory. Through the class and laboratory we build conceptual understanding in subjects like image formation by lenses and mirrors, ray optics, and ultimately elliptical polarization while fostering laboratory independence and helping students erect a new paradigm for learning. This contributed paper was provided for the authors' Active learning using tutorials in intermediate optics presentation at the 2009 Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories.

Creating, implementing, and sustaining an advanced optical spectroscopy laboratory course

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:49:24 EST

An upper-division laboratory course in atomic and molecular spectroscopy is described. Examples of outcomes that also benefit second-year physics laboratories and demonstrations in introductory courses are presented. The overarching goal that drove the development of the course was to assist students in understanding the fundamental connections between atomic and molecular spectra and the underlying structures. A selection of laboratory experiences supporting this goal, and the equipment and techniques necessary to provide them, are outlined.