Instructor: M.K. Balasubramanya, Ph.D.                          Phone: (361) 825 - 6020
Office: 313 Center for Instruction (CI) & 217 CI               E-Mail: bala@tamucc.edu

Course Homepage on the Web: www.sci.tamucc.edu/~physweb/physics/physics-courses/phys4320/Physics4320-homepage.html

To access secure web pages related to the course, follow the directions given in class.

Physics 4320 carries 3 credits. Concurrent registration in Physics 4320- 001 (lecture section) and Physics 4320-101(lab section) is required. Letter grade will be awarded to you in Phys 4320-001 only.

Prerequisites: Proficiency in college level algebra and trigonometry is very essential in order to successfully complete this course.

Books: No text is required for this course. The laboratory techniques that will be developed will complement the content in texts such as (1) Physical Science, A Unified Approach, by Jerry Schad, Brooks Cole Publishing, 1996 and (2) Physics, Fifth Edition by Cutnell & Johnson, John Wiley & Sons, 2001.

Course Description: Introduction to laboratory techniques in physical science. Topics include the nature of empirical investigations, the role of the laboratory in physical science, strategies for designing experiments, the nature of hypothesis testing in physical science, identification and development of laboratory tools for experiments in physical science.

Course Objectives: After successfully completing this course you will be able to design and carry out systematic experiments in basic physical science, and to demonstrate skills in developing your own physical science laboratory experiments with explicitly stated goals. You will demonstrate competance in designing physical science experiments with ordinarily available materials as well as specialized teaching grade equipment.

Communicating with the Instructor: You are encouraged to see the instructor personally during his office hours. You are also welcome to call him on the phone or e-mail him with physics questions.

Laboratory Work: The main focus of this course is the development of laboratory skills in physical science. Laboratory work will involve designing experiments in physical science, identifying appropriate laboratory tools, carrying them out, and redesigning an experiment if necessary to meet the goals and objectives initially set forth for that experiment. The student will need to gain proficiency in the experimental method, including experimental error analysis.

Projects: The successful completion of the course will require the design and execution of a total of 10 self selected projects related to physical science laboratory techniques. The student should build a portfolio of projects which will serve as a resource for future work in physical science, including physical science teaching. Every week the student has to complete one project, and the report on the project is due on the Friday of the week. The student is required to turn in by 3 p.m. on  Thursday a two page write up of the outline of the project to be completed the following week.  Each outline and project will be graded. The outline is worth 15% and the project 85%. The project outline should include a brief description of the science that will be investigated, how it will be carried out, and how the project actually leads to hypothesis testing or valid conclusions about the phenomena investigated. The student must study the science related to each project exhaustively and mention in the outline all the sources examined for purposes of the project. The project report should discuss in detail the experimental design, methods employed in the investigation, likely sources of error and efforts made to minimize them, description of problems encountered following the initial design and efforts made to mitigate them, observations, calculations and conclusions about the investigated phenomena. The project outline and the project report will be assessed for clarity of purpose, breadth of sources examined, whether the design will serve the scientific ends stated, whether the project can be accomplished with materials and equipment commonly available in a secondary school laboratory, quality of experimentation, and redesign efforts following problems encountered with the first design of the project. The first project will be titled "Basis of Experimental Method in Physical Science".
This should explore the relation between theory and experiment in physical science, and what the role of the experimental method is in science, with at least three examples.

Use of Microcomputers: Some experiments may require the use of  microcomputers in the physics laboratory. Computer skills that the student should acquire in this course include (a) how to turn on and off a computer and monitor, (b) how to create a folder on a disk and save a file in it, (c) how to use available science software, and (d) how to create and use a spreadsheet, including graphing and linear regression. Make sure that you securely back up on your own disks all material that you create. You need to have a valid Novell userid for accessing computers on campus.

Access to the Laboratory: Most of the work will be carried out in the physics laboratory. The student will be provided an access code to the laboratory room to facilitate project work.

Policy on late completion of projects: There are NO provisions for turning in late project outlines or project reports without making prior arrangements with the instructor. The only valid reasons for late work are (1) health related, backed by a doctor's note, (2) family emergency which can be documented, (3) job interview with the letter of invitation for the interview, and (4) participation in a previously scheduled athletic, or university event or travel to a conference. In case of emergency resulting in not informing the instructor of your absence from class, contact the instructor at your earliest convenience regarding your absence.

Grading policy: Each project will be graded out of 100 points as described in the section on 'Projects' above. The final letter grade for the course will be based on your average grade for all ten projects. Your letter grade for the course will be based on the following scale:
90% and above = A, 80 - 89.9% = B, 70 - 79.9% = C, 60 - 69.9% = D, Less than 60% = F

The instructor expects a high level of personal integrity on the part of students enrolled in the course. He further assumes that students have qualities of personal worth, dignity and the capacity for self-direction in personal behavior. Plagiarism and academic dishonesty, demonstrated by work copied from other students or sources not authorized by the instructor, on exams or quizzes, will result in the award of 0 for that exam or quiz, a written reprimand to the student, and a recommendation for a more severe punishment to the appropriate department chair/dean.

IF ANY CHANGES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE STIPULATIONS ARE MADE, THEY WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS AND/OR ON THE LISTSERV AND WEB, AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING YOURSELF INFORMED OF SUCH CHANGES.