Supervisor: Dr. Doug R. Ingram
Office: SWR 315
Hours: MWF 900-950 and TR mornings by appointment
Phone: 257-7313 (less reliable)
Email: d.ingram@tcu.edu (more reliable)
WWW: http://personal.tcu.edu/dingram/phys10273

Please see the Fall 2019 Lab Announcement for information about:

• Required lab equipment
• Attendance policy
• Make-up lab policy

This syllabus is meant to describe what you'll be doing in an individual lab section. Overall course policies are in the lab announcement handout. If you do not have a copy of that handout, please be sure to get one off the World Wide Web (see URL above) or from your TA. It contains important information not found in this syllabus.

Structure of the Lab

The laboratory sections last 2 hours. Each lab is more or less self-paced. There will be a brief 5-minute introduction to the material at the beginning of each section, usually. The notes in the lab manual provide detailed instructions on exactly what is expected from each lab, so read and follow them carefully! Follow along and ask your Lab TA for help, if necessary.

Teamwork

Although 2 or 3 students may work together during the lab session, it is required that each student contribute to the work. Each student must write his or her own lab report. Those students who are unwilling to do a fair share of the work of their group will not receive credit for the lab exercise and will need to schedule a make-up lab. It is up to the Lab TA to determine whether or not students are not doing their fair share of the work. "Cheating" is defined as verbatim (or mostly verbatim, in the judgement of the Lab TA) copying of any part of another student's lab exercise or essay.

Any student who cheats will not receive credit for the lab exercise and is subject to disciplinary action by the university. Copying data or lab reports from students in other labs is also considered cheating. In all instances of cheating, a letter detailing the incident will be automatically sent to the Dean of Campus Life and placed in the student's permanent file. Such students will also be required to work by themselves for the remainder of the semester.

Lab Reports

Lab reports must be turned in at the end of the lab section before you leave the classroom. You are required to download and print out the lab assignment (which includes any worksheets you need) prior to a given week's lab. You may find these on the Physics 10273 home page (google "Physics 10273"). There you will find pdf copies of individual labs as well as the entire lab manual.

Grading

Labs will be graded each week by your home TA. Your overall lab average for 10 labs completed will be forwarded to your instructor and count as 20 percent of your overall Physics 10273 course grade. If you complete more than 10 lab assignments, your best 10 grades will be averaged. If you complete fewer than 10 lab assignments, see the lab announcement document for the consequences.

Lab Schedule (Tentative)

Week of Mon Sep 9 - Lab #1: Conventional Energy Sources

Week of Mon Sep 16 - Lab #2: Alternative Energy Sources

Week of Mon Sep 23 - Lab #3: The Precautionary Principle

Week of Mon Sep 30 - Lab #4: Citizen Science: Planet 9

(Supplemental: Meteorite Museum lab window begins on Tue Oct 1)

Week of Mon Oct 7 - Lab #5: Searching for Extrasolar Planets

(Supplemental: Observing Labs, weather permitting)

Week of Mon Oct 14 - No lab all week (due to Fall Break)

Week of Mon Oct 21 - Lab #6: Citizen Science: Planet Hunting

Week of Mon Oct 28 - Lab #7: Citizen Science: Mapping Mars

Week of Mon Nov 4 - Lab #8: The Moons of the Outer Planets

Week of Mon Nov 11 - Lab #9: NASA Missions

Week of Mon Nov 18 - Lab #10: Citizen Science: Radio Meteor Zoo

(Supplemental: All meteorite museums lab must be completed by Sat Nov 23)

Week of Mon Nov 25 - No lab all week (due to Thanksgiving Break)

(Makeup) Week of Mon Dec 2 - Lab #11: Impact Craters