Fall 2024
Lab Start Dates
PHYS 0150/0050: September 3rd
PHYS 0102: September 3rd
PHYS 0151/0051: September 9th
PHYS 0101: September 9th
PHYS 0170: September 10th
Check the Lab Schedule for more details.
Lab Protocol
Students will work in assigned groups of 3 (or fewer) students and complete a lab procedure during each lab meeting. There will be 10 labs total. Procedures for each lab can be accessed via the Canvas Home page or your Canvas To Do list. Please obey the following guidelines for each lab:
- Leave the lab exactly how you found it! Other sections use the same rooms and equipment. Be considerate to students and lab staff by taking care of the equipment.
- Report all problems/breakages immediately! Don't try to fix something yourself. You may not repair it correctly, which may result in taking data using broken or uncalibrated equipment.
- Come to the lab prepared! Read the Lab Procedure ahead of time and complete the Pre-Lab Exercise.
- A lab writeup for each group is due at the end of the lab session. It will be submitted to Canvas.
Lab Attendance, Absences, and Makeups
Passing all 10 labs is required to pass the course. Excused absences can be made up via asynchronous labs or joining other lab sections, at the Lab Manager's discretion. Excused absences include expected absences, such as a religious holiday or a conference, and medical absences. Excused absences require a completed Course Action Notice and communication with the Lab Instructor. Students are generally allowed two asynchronous labs per semester.
In the event of a extended Medical Leave or more than two excused absences, email your Lab Instructor and the Lab Manager to make accommodations.
There is one make-up lab at the end of the semester to replace a failed lab.
Since labs are a group activity, promptness is expected. The Lab Instructor is not required to allow late entry to the lab after the first 15 minutes.
Grading Policy
Students must pass all labs in order to pass the course. The following grading scheme will be used for each lab:
Excellent (E), Passing (P), Needs Improvement (NI), Fail (F)
If two NI are received, the third NI will turn into F. Successful completion of the lab ALSO includes handing in a pre-lab exercise for every lab. Failure to turn in a Pre-Lab will result in an automatic NI.
The above grades will be based on the following aspects each lab writeup.
- Presentation
The report should be clear, organized and readable. - Questions
Correct answers to the questions listed in the lab procedure will receive full credit. - Results and Conclusions
Must include a summary of the data, graphs (clearly labelled) and conclusions. Should also include a comparison of actual results with expected results and a discussion of sources of error with numerical estimates
Note: Points will NOT be deducted because of "bad data" (i.e. results that deviate from an expected data due to experimental error) as long as you provided a thorough examination of your error.
Plagiarism and Generative AI
Coping text from another source, be it Wikipedia, or a report from a different lab section, or generative AI (such as ChatGPT), will be considered an act of plagiarism and are grounds for automatically failing a lab report. Possession of a completed report not written by the possessor will also be considered an act of plagiarism. Repeated acts may be grounds for an Academic Dishonesty Report with the Center for Community Standards & Accountability.
Lab Safety Regulations
- No food or drink is allowed in the lab rooms.
- There are no PPE requirements for this course.
- As will all labs at Penn, close-toed shoes and covered legs are required.
- Disruptive or destructive behavior will not be tolerated.
- Student must immediately inform the Lab Instructor of any emergency.
Inform the Lab Instructor immediately of any injury or exposure. In the case of chemical contact, cut, or puncture, flush the affected area for 15 minutes with soap and water. If splashed in eyes, use emergency eyewash. Hold both eyes open and flush for 15 minutes.