http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/ The latest material additions to the Advanced Labs. en-US Copyright 2010, ComPADRE.org advlabs@compadre.org advlabs@compadre.org Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:31:51 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.compadre.org/portal/services/images/LogoSmallAdvLabs.gif http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/ 125 35 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=9303 This website is a complete description of how to use XBee transducers to make wireless acceleration sensors. Other sensors can be used for measurements of pressure, temperature, or other signals. The sensors are small, rugged, and light weight. They can measure up to six analog signals simultaneously, and transmit their data reliably up to 50 meters. With other antenna and/or power options, the XBee can transmit up to 15 miles. General Physics/Equipment/Electronic Equipment http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9303 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:31:51 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=9303 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=5997 This laboratory tutorial and worksheet gives an introduction to creating and interpreting graphs. The material covered includes exploration of linear and non-linear relationships, logarithmic graphs as well as error analysis and propagation. Exercises are included. General Physics/Measurement/Units http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=5997 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:27:41 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=5997 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7790 Students count radioactive decays using a multi-channel scaler. After histogramming, the distributions are compared to Poisson and Gaussian forms. Modern Physics/Nuclear Physics http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7790 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:21:55 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7790 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8540 This web site provides interactive representations of quantum optics experiments. The illustrations show the setup, operation, and results of real experiments that demonstrate fundamental phenomena of quantum physics such as quantum particles, randomness, and entanglement as well as prospective applications such as quantum number generation and quantum cryptography. Extensive supplemental materials, with text, pictures, and video, explain the physics being studied in the experiments. An extensive bibliography is also included. Optics/Modern Optics http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8540 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:19:47 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8540 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8565 Discovery based optics labs for sophomore through senior level students. These labs concentrate heavily on developing comprehension and independence of the students when working with optics. They deal principally with geometric optics and elliptical polarization. The students are asked to make predictions and then test their predictions. Optics/General http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8565 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:13:09 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8565 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8506 The purpose of this web site is to provide Remote Controlled Labs (RCLs) to users on the internet. These are real experiments which can be executed by a client using a standard web browser interacting with a web server controlling the experiment. Web cams allow the user to observe the on-going experiment. The experiments are designed to encourage interactive exploration by students and emphasize the importance of experiments in physics. The labs available include Millikan's oil-drop experiment, Rutherford scattering, the speed of light, the photoelectric effect, I-V characteristics, radioactivity, and control of robots. Modern Physics/General http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8506 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:51:06 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8506 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7729 Students bounce a steel ball in a gas-filled tube. The compressed gas provides a restoring force on the ball. By measuring the distance of initial fall or the frequency of oscillation, the ratio of specific heats of several gases, Cp/Cv may be determined. Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics/General http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7729 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:36:46 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7729 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7772 This page provides a flash simulation of Stern-Gerlach filters that select spin up electrons. The simulation allows the user to use up to three filters and to change the orientation of each of the filters. Quantum Physics/Quantum Experiments http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7772 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:11:20 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7772 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8504 An intermediate level experiment to determine the emission spectrum from a heated blackbody object (filament lamp) as a function of temperature using a photo-diode and a set of interference filters. Compare the results with the classical theory of Rayleigh-Jeans and the quantum theories of Stefan-Boltzmann and Planck. Use the latter to determine the temperature of an unknown high-temperature source (halogen lamp). This document is Chapter 2 of the "Waves, Light, and Heat Laboratory Manual" for Physics 341 at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Other chapters are included in the AAPT Advanced Labs collection. Quantum Physics/Quantum Experiments http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8504 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:33:00 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8504 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8501 The purpose of this experiment is to familiarize the student with the Geiger-Mueller counter. This counter is a widely used pulse-counting instrument that uses gas amplification, which makes it remarkably sensitive, but whose simple construction makes it relatively inexpensive. The experiments that are designed to accomplish this purpose deal with the operating plateau of the Geiger tube, half-life determinations, resolving-time corrections, and the basic nuclear considerations involved. This document is part of Ortec's AN34 Publication, a collection of nuclear physics experiments for undergraduate laboratories. Modern Physics/Nuclear Physics http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8501 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:53:23 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8501 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7811 Students measure total cross sections for several gamma energies for aluminum, iron and lead. Modern Physics/Nuclear Physics/Radioactivity http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7811 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:08:18 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7811 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8493 Short (30-page) treatise on statistical analysis of data geared toward students in the advanced physics lab. Includes instructions on using Excel for linear and nonlinear regression and the "delta chi-square equals 1 rule" for finding uncertainties for nonlinear regression. General Physics/Measurement/Units/Error http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8493 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:28:02 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8493 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8476 This website contains information on a laboratory course at the Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, on quantum optics. It includes descriptions and manuals for four teaching experiments on single and entangled photons for undergraduates. It also includes a course syllabus and students’ assignments, reports and presentations. This work is supported by the NSF grants ECS-0420888 and DUE-0633621, the University of Rochester Kauffman Foundation Initiative, and the Spectra-Physics division of Newport Corporation. Quantum Physics/Entanglement and Quantum Information http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8476 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:10:53 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=8476 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=6898 Classic Franck-Hertz experiment using mercury. Some attempt is made to understand the energies actually measured, as contrasted with the energy levels in mercury. Modern Physics/Atomic Physics http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=6898 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:55:40 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=6898 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7789 Students study RG58U coalial cable, determining the relationships among: capacitance, inductance, impedance, pulse propagation speed, termination and reflection coefficients. Electricity & Magnetism/Capacitance http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7789 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:38:31 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7789 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7791 Students use NaI/PMT gamma detectors to gather spectra of several radioactive sources. The full-enrgy peak, Compton edge, Compton shelf and backscatter peaks are identified. The physics of the detection process is emphasized. Modern Physics/Nuclear Physics/Radioactivity http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7791 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:26:23 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7791 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=6867 Students use NaI/PMT detectors to measure the angular correlation of simultaneously emitted gammas from Na-22 and Co-60. Modern Physics/Nuclear Physics/Particle Detectors http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=6867 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:21:34 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=6867 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7813 Students study the Hall Effect in single crystal germanium, doped with gallium. The Hall voltage, resistivity, and mobility are studied in the temperature range 78K to 430K. Modern Physics/Condensed Matter http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7813 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:15:38 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7813 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7814 Students measure the heat capacity of nickel and niobium in the temperature range 4K to 300K. Modern Physics/Condensed Matter http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7814 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:44:45 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7814 http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7815 Students measure infra-red transmission through silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide. The band gap energies are measured and transitions are characterized as direct or indirect. Modern Physics/Condensed Matter http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7815 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:35:26 EST http://www.compadre.org/advlabs/items/detail.cfm?ID=7815