General Physics I Laboratory Course Summer 2024

Instructor: Dr. Yuri M. Strzhemechny

Office: SWR 373

Phone: 817-257-5793

Web: http://personal.tcu.edu/ystrzhemechn/

Office Hours (@ SWR 373 or https://tcu.zoom.us/j/368852310): T 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM & by appointment

Course Description: This course will cover the following physics subjects at an introductory college level: Newton’s laws of motion, the conservation of linear momentum, angular momentum, and energy, the mechanics of fluids, internal energy and heat transport, and wave phenomena. This laboratory course will provide students with “hands-on” experiences that will anchor and reinforce the content of their corresponding lecture-based course.

Course Administration: Instructions and other materials are distributed via the Internet, on TCU Online

Course Materials

Required Materials

ALL students will be required to have and use a personal computing device that can access TCU’s network resources provided on the TCU Online (D2L) site. Microsoft Office^® will be utilized for both word processing and numerical analysis and graphing. Microsoft Excel is a mandatory tool which will be used for each lab. The ability to download, open, save, and edit existing Excel spreadsheets ON the desktop version of Excel is required. A scientific calculator such as a TI-84 will be used frequently.

Supplementary Resources

Installation of Vernier’s LoggerPro software for PC or MAC will be very useful. This will be available through the course shell on TCU Online.

Teaching Philosophy & Methodology

Physics is best learned through collaborative effort. Within the lab a small group of students will work together in creating the lab objectives, designing the procedures for data collection, evaluating data through appropriate analysis, and interpreting the analysis to answer an experimental question or achieve an experimental purpose for each lab activity. The role of the lab supervisor and each section’s teacher will be to provide clarity, ongoing feedback, and critical support. They will guide the students but not instruct the students in completion of the activities.

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

· Design, complete, and communicate laboratory procedures for data collection to answer an experimental question or purpose.

· Organize, complete, and communicate data analysis required to answer an experimental question or purpose.

· Interpret and communicate the results of analysis as evidence to answer an experimental question or purpose.

Grading Philosophy & Policy

Students will document their work on large whiteboards as groups progress through each activity. Regular sharing of work between groups will encourage identification and use of best practices to complete activity goals. Evaluation of and feedback to improve that work will be delivered during the lab session by the TA. Documentation by the participants of their work will be submitted to the TCU Online portal as PDFs for the course by the end of the day for each lab session. While the work will be completed collectively, assessment will be done individually. Each member of a group will contribute between one and all three parts of a typical lab report

Late Work

With the exception of Labs 4 and 8, all report evaluations will be done by the TAs before the next the lab period. Because of this ALL work except for Labs 4 and 8 should be submitted by 5pm the day the lab is completed. Since each individual will be submitting all three parts of the lab report independently for Labs 4 and 8, these submissions are due at 9:30am the day of the next lab session. After that day and time each part will be subject to a 1.0-point deduction as long as it’s submitted prior to the second lab session after being due. Submissions after that can earn a maximum score of 1.0 for each part. A zero will be entered for all lab submissions not made by Jul 3 at 5:00pm and will result in the whole course letter grade penalty detailed in the lecture syllabus.

Participation, Engagement & Attendance

Since each student will be responsible for one component of each lab report during each lab session, participation is essential. Failure to participate will result in a score of 0 being earned for that lab report part for that student.

Attendance for the full two-hour lab session each day is vital to student improvement in the lab objectives. If you miss a lab due to an absence caused by a documented (e.g., medical or legal) reason, you must present documentation to Dr. Strzhemechny for him to allow the make-up of the lab. There are lab periods allotted for lab make-ups. Unexcused lab absences will result in a score of 0 being earned for that lab. Each lab missed will reduce the student’s OVERALL COURSE grade by one full letter. For example, a student that earns a B in the lecture course but only has eight labs submitted will have a C reported for the final COURSE grade, not just lab section grade.

Course Assignments & Final Grade

Assignments	Percentage Weight
Labs 1 – 3	12%
Labs 5 – 7 and 9	36%
Labs 4, 8A & 8B	52%
Total	100%

Grading Scale(s)

A numerical grade between 50 and 100 will be reported to the course professor based on the tabulated scores on all submitted assignments. Each of the three lab report components (detailed later) will be scored on a 1 – 4 scale using the rubric for that component. D2L will convert these scores into a Final Calculated Grade out of 100 (abbreviated D2L below). This value will then be scaled to the 50 to 100 lab grade (abbreviated LG below) that will be reported to Dr Strzhemechny. This is detailed below.

D2L range	Lab Grade	D2L range	Lab Grade
99.0 – 100.0	100	93.0 – 93.9	94
98.0 – 98.9	99	92.0 – 92.9	93
97.0 – 97.9	98	91.0 – 91.9	92
96.0 – 96.9	97	89.3 – 90.9	91
95.0 – 95.9	96	87.5 – 89.2	90
94.0 – 94.9	95

For Final Calculated Grades between 87.5 and 100.0, the table at right shows the corresponding Lab Grade that will be submitted. For scores below 87.5, the following formula will be used to calculate the final Lab Grade: LG = (D2L)*0.4 + 54. This means a score of 87.4 will earn an 89, a 63.7 will earn an 80, a 38.7 will be a 70, and a 13.8 is a 60.

Assignments

There will be a total of nine laboratory exercises during ten scheduled lab sessions. All nine must be completed for full credit. There will be two days for make-up for any missed labs. Each lab report will have three written elements:

Part A – Question, Procedure, and Diagram (QPD) Part B – Uncertainty, Data, and Analysis (UDA) Part C – Conclusion (CON)

Each of the three parts will be scored using a 1 – 4 point rubric. For most labs each student in a group will be responsible for one or two of the three parts and only receive a score for the components completed. Labs 4 and 8 will have all parts submitted by each student, and each student will be evaluated for each part of those two full reports.

Course Objectives and Scoring Rubrics

A. The student will be able to develop a testable question or experimental purpose, design and implement procedures necessary to collect data to accomplish that purpose and supplement the procedure with diagrams or figures relevant to the procedure and system being investigated.

Question, Procedure, and Diagram (QPD)

1. The experimental question or purpose is clearly stated and obviously testable.

2. All directly measured variable quantities and quantities to be held constant are identified as are the tools/instruments needed to measure them.

3. Steps to describe how the measurement tools are employed with the described system are indicated in clear language, and units are included with all measured quantities.

4. A well-labeled diagram of the physical setup is included.

B. The student will be able to identify and communicate uncertainties in measured and calculated data, display measured and calculated data in tabular form, and analyze data to accomplish the experiment’s objective using graphical or statistical methods, as appropriate.

Uncertainty, Data, and Analysis (UDA)

1. Measured and calculated values have units and clear uncertainties and displayed values in a table that reflects those uncertainties.

2. An example of each calculated value is provided for all calculated values.

3. Properly labeled and scaled graph(s) are used for analysis with uncertainty in plotted data included as appropriate.

4. A best-fit to a trend in data is included as an equation with the graphed data.

C. The student will be able to communicate the results of analysis translating from mathematical outcomes to appropriate physics language both in prose and equation form, connect the results of analysis to the experimental objective, and identify the meaning of constants from the analysis results when appropriate.

Conclusions (CON)

The following elements written in the form of a paragraph … NOT as a set of numbered items

1. The results of analysis are clearly stated in prose using mathematical language and physics vocabulary.

2. An equation is cited between varied quantities is describing all constants including units and all variables symbolized appropriately given the quantities measured.

3. Any new quantities or system constants are correctly calculated and their relationship to the cited equation from the analysis is clearly made.

4. A comparison of any experimentally determined quantities is made to theoretically developed values citing a percent difference if possible.

For each of these three elements of the lab write-up a 4-pt rubric will be used for evaluation. The rubric will be part of each scored element for each assignment:

RUBRIC

Score:	4	3	2	1	0
Criteria	The response includes all four elements described above.	All four components are included but one or two are incomplete or inaccurate.	No more than one component is missing and no more than two are incomplete or inaccurate OR all components are included but three are incomplete or inaccurate.	No more than two components are missing OR all four are incomplete or inaccurate.	Three or more components are missing.

Course Policies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethical Considerations and Consequences for Misuse

The inappropriate or unauthorized use of AI-generated content may be academic misconduct and/or a violation of discipline-specific professional ethics. Such misuse of AI or other assignment- help tools will be handled according to TCU’s Academic Conduct Policy or other relevant policies and may result in sanctions, including failing the course, program dismissal, suspension, or expulsion.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and other unapproved assignment-help tools MAY NOT be used for course assignments except as explicitly authorized by the instructor. Specific examples of prohibited activities include, but are not limited to:

• Submitting all or any part of an assignment statement to an AI or unapproved assignment-help tool;

• Incorporating any part of an AI-generated response in an assignment;

• Using AI to brainstorm, formulate arguments, or template ideas for assignments;

• Using AI to summarize or contextualize source materials;

• Submitting your own work for this class to an AI or unapproved assignment-help tool for iteration or improvement.

If you are in doubt as to what constitutes AI, or whether an assignment-help tool is suitable for use in this class, then it is your responsibility to discuss your situation with the instructor.

Technology Policies

Students will be documenting their work and submitting it to the Assignment portal as PDFs. A phone camera with CamScanner or equivalent ability to insert a photograph into the Word document template for each assignment is required. Many laptops have cameras with this capability if a phone is not available. Additionally, graphing will be required every class meeting. Having the hardware and facility to use these tools will be critical.

Course Schedule

This calendar represents current course plans.

Dates	Topic	Assigned Content	Due
Mon, 6/3	-- NO LAB MEETING --
Wed, 6/5	Lab 1	Measurement and Graphing	5 pm
Fri, 6/7	Lab 2	Freefall Acceleration	5 pm
Mon, 6/10	Lab 3	Equilibrium Forces	5 pm
Wed, 6/12	Lab 4 – Formal Lab I	2-D Inclined Forces	6/14 @ 9:30am
Fri, 6/14	Lab 5	Energy	5 pm
Mon, 6/17	Lab 6	Momentum	5 pm
Wed, 6/19	-- NO LAB MEETING --
Fri, 6/21	Lab 7	Rotation 1: Kinematics & Torques	5 pm
Mon, 6/24	Lab 8A Formal Lab IIA	Rotational Dynamics, pt 1	6/26 @ 9:30am
Wed, 6/26	Lab 8B Formal Lab IIB	Rotational Dynamics, pt 2	6/28 @ 9:30am
Fri, 6/28	Lab 9	Oscillators	5 pm
Mon, 7/1	Make–up Session 1	Sign-up Available 6/28	5 pm
Wed, 7/3	Make–up Session 2	Sign-up Available 6/28	5 pm

Academic Misconduct: I would like to remind you about policies and procedures regarding your rights as well as responsibilities that are published in the TCU Code of Student Conduct. You may have a paper copy but it is also available on line at https://deanofstudents.tcu.edu/student-handbook/code-of-student-conduct/. Specifically I would like you to review sections dealing with academic misconduct, i.e. cheating, plagiarism, etc.

Disabilities statement: Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 1010. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.

Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at https://www.tcu.edu/access-accommodation/connect.php.

Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.