Lab 7 Prep and Materials

Lab 7 Prep Package (PDF File)

Lab 7 Briefing Material (PDF File)

Bring some small transparent items.
We will meet in the classroom first, then move over to the lab.

Lab 6 - Retrospective on Lab Notebooks

In lab 6 I spent 5-10 minutes one-on-one going over lab notebooks. These were good discussions.  Some comments:

1. There is a wide range in style.
2. Several students are using electronic notebooks.  Some of these are local applications and some are in the cloud.  If yours is a local application be sure to back up the content!. There is a wide range in notebook quality.
4. Not everyone seemed satisfied with their notebooks.
5. Here's a strategy for improving your notebook:
--- Refer to the checklist in the material for Lab 1.
--- Review your notebook against the checklist.
--- Pick an area to improve.
--- Spend extra effort on that area until you see improvement.
--- Iterate.
6. Some notebooks didn't record lab procedures. These are necessary to reproduce a result.  Imagine you will be handing your notebook to a colleague who will use your notes to re-do an experiment.
7. Good notebooks can save you in the future from extra work redoing stuff that you just didn't bother to record. Get in the habit of recording a little more than you think you need to.
8. When something is puzzling, make a note of it in your notebook.  A puzzle is meant to be solved.  Solving puzzles yields understanding.  You should not just let an inconsistent result stand without tracking it down or at least making an obvious note of it.

Except for those of you to whom I gave a "bye" for further rounds, I will review lab notebooks in class again. At that time we will make "improvement contracts". In the meantime, use the feedback provided and these comments as an opportunity to improve your practices. Out in the wild you will find it necessary to keep good lab records in order to make reliable progress on a project and be confident of the results.

Lab 6 Briefing

Meet in the lab, Wing B 144, instead of the classroom.

Hard to believe we're already finishing week 3. That means it's time for lab notebook review, so prep this time is to catch your lab notebook up-to-date and be prepared to show it to me during the next lab session. I'll spend 5 or so minutes with each of you assessing notebook quality. There will be 2 possible outcomes:  (1) you've got an acceptable notebook and you're good to go - you've got a pass on further notebook review. And (2), I'll be reviewing your notebook again to see how you are improving based on the advice I give you. Notebook quality is not directly a part of your grade, it only counts so far as good notebook quality helps you otherwise get a good grade. So treat this as a no-risk skill-building exercise. Good lab notebooks are essential - without good notes all you are doing is experiencing.  Without records you can not really do science since a key aspect of science is it's repeatability.

Lab 5 Briefing Materials Available

Lab 5 - Interference Fringes (PDF File)
Lab Self-Assessment Rev 2 (PDF File)

Lab 5 Prep Package Available

Lab 5 Prep Package (PDF File)

... in which you explore small angles, analyze Lab 4's data and design a small part for an experiment.

Lab 4 Materials Available

Lab 4 Prep Package (PDF File)
Lab 4 - Cornell Plates Briefing (PDF File)

Lab 4 - centimeter / millimeter scale (PDF File)

Lab 3 Briefing Materials Available

Lab Safety (PDF File)

Lab 3 - Laser Beam Conditioning (PDF File)