Module PHYS2551: LABORATORY SKILLS AND PRACTICE

Department: Physics

PHYS2551: LABORATORY SKILLS AND PRACTICE

Prerequisites

• Discovery Skills in Physics (PHYS1101) AND (Fundamental Physics (PHYS1111) OR Foundations of Physics 1 (PHYS1122)) AND (Single Mathematics A (MATH1561) and Single Mathematics B (MATH1571) OR Core Mathematics A (MATH1012) OR Maths for Engineers and Scientists (MATH1551)).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module is designed primarily for students studying Department of Physics or Natural Sciences degree programmes.
• It aims to teach laboratory skills such as experiment planning, data analysis and specific practical skills, to teach a scientific computing language, to provide experience of a long laboratory experiment in Physics, to focus the students on an essay project in a tutorial environment.

Content

• Activities to develop skills in data interpretation, experiment design, specific practical techniques, report writing, error analysis, team working and critical thinking.
• Performance of an extended laboratory practical.
• Exercises to learn a scientific computer language and apply it to simple computational tasks.
• Writing of an essay and presentation of a talk on a topic of choice.

Learning Outcomes

• Having studied this module the student will know how to plan experiments and to interpret data quantitatively and systematically.
• They will have formed a detailed appreciation of the physics underlying a particular project and be prepared to undertake and report on similar projects.
• They will have formed an appreciation of the physics related to a chosen essay topic.

• Students will have specific laboratory practical skills generally useful in practical physics.
• They will have a working knowledge of a scientific computing language.

• Students will have developed their written and oral presentation skills sufficiently to be able to write a fluent and well-structured essay and to give a clear and convincing oral presentation.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will be by lectures, tutorials, practical sessions, workshops and computing exercises.
• The practical sessions are small group activities designed to develop skills in data interpretation, experiment design, team working, specific practical techniques and reporting. The skills covered form the foundation needed for the long experiment in the second term and for later practical work. Students will be able to obtain help and guidance from laboratory scripts and through discussions with laboratory demonstrators.
• The tutorials provide support for research into a topic of choice and provide a forum for developing presentation skills. Students receive guidance and feedback on their essay and presentation to the tutorial group.
• The lectures give an introduction to the basic principles of scientific computing and the workshops and exercises give practice in applying these principles.
• Student performance is summatively assessed through a formal report for the skills sessions, through a formal report for the long experiment, through the essay and presentation and through computing exercises.
• The practical classes, tutorials, workshops and computing exercises provide opportunity for feedback, for students to gauge their progress and for staff to monitor progress throughout the duration of the module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment of laboratory record by laboratory staff.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University