Mr. Climer s Web Page:

Spring 2014 General Science 1110L Syllabus General Science Laboratory January 6 th to April 28 th Sections Sections 000, and 001 Grote Hall ROOM 216 Schedule Section 000 20199 F 12:00PM-1:50 PM Section 001 20200 F 2:00PM-3:50PM Documents for Lab Instructors Mr. Climer s Web Page: http://www.utc.edu/faculty/harold-climer/ Mr. Harold A. Climer Office:223 Grote Hall Tel: (Physics Dept.) 425-4404 e-mail: Harold-Climer@utc.edu Mr. Jack Pitkin Lab Preparator/Senior Instructor Office: 215 Grote Hall Tel: 425-4518 e-mail: Jack-Pitkin@utc.edu Location Grote 216 Office Hours Monday 8:00-9:00 AM, Thursday 8:00-9:00 AM, Friday 8:00-8:30 AM Catalog Description: General Science Laboratory to accompany General Science 1110. Studies involve error analysis, circuits, optics, nuclear radiation, heat and temperature, ph Measurements, astronomy measurements; every semester. Two hours per week. Co requisite: GNSC 1110 or department head approval. Laboratory/studio course fee will be assessed. 1.000 Credit hours 1.000 Lab hours Course Objectives: This laboratory is aimed to enhance the understanding and demonstration of scientific principles covered in the co-requisite lecture course. In effecting this goal, students will integrate conceptual ideas into practical quantitative activities in lab, gaining hands-on experience and practicing detailed observation and recording of data. The advantages and limitations of specific approaches will be addressed in analysis and discussion of the results and uncertainties in the experiments. Logical analysis of data in problem-solving and presentation of data by graphs are addressed. Finally, students will enhance their skills in effective communication of scientific results through writing lab reports. If you are a student with a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) and think you might need special assistance or a special accommodation in this class or any other class, please speak with your professor as soon as possible. You may also contact the UTC Office for Students with Disabilities at 425-4006 or go by their office in 102 Frist Hall on the UTC campus. If you find that personal problems, career indecision, study and time management difficulties, etc. are adversely affecting your successful progress at UTC, please contact the Counseling and Career Planning Center at 425-4438. If you need a tutor, please call the Advisement and Student Success Center at (423) 425-4573, or visit the office in the University Center, Room 108. To enhance student services, the University will use your UTC email address (firstname-lastname@utc.edu) for all communications. (See http://www.utc.edu to log in.) Please check your UTC email on a regular basis. If you have problems with accessing your email account, contact the Help Desk at 423-425-4000. 1

Class changes and information may be communicated on the course web page and through your UTC e-mail address in addition to being announced in class as well as the university for inclement weather. Required Materials and Learning Aids: A. Manual: A description of all experiments and data pages are available for printing from the class website http://www.utc.edu/faculty/harold-climer/ Please look at the schedule to determine which experiment you will need for any given day. B.Scientific Calculator: You must own one and bring it with you to lab. No calculator Apps on cell phones or on other electronic devices, including laptops or tablets, etc., are allowed in this lab. Only handheld stand alone calculators are to be use during the lab sessions and the Final Exam. Use of forbidden electronic devices will result in an automatic F (ZERO) for that days work. You should familiarize yourself with how to use your calculator. YOUR LAB INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO USE IT. C. Items needed for class: Lab notebook, Blue or Black ink pen, mechanical pencil (HB 0.05mm lead), clear plastic cm scale ruler, protractor, 10 mm to the cm graph paper Attendance Policy: Attendance at all laboratory sessions is required. If you miss a session, you will get a ZERO for that lab. Your instructor may make exceptions and give you a makeup session if he/she is convinced that you were ill, had a death in the family, or were involved in a similar emergency. Verification documents must be provided. The make-up form is available for download from my web page. The instructor s signature is required to get a make-up session with Mr. Pitkin. If you are late to a lab session by more than 5 minutes, you are not allowed to perform the experiment and you will get zero for this lab, unless other arrangements have been made. Students are responsible for all information that is given in class, even if they are absent. Attendance is required. Come to the lab ON TIME. You must have the required items with you each time. A 10% penalty will be applied to your grade for the experiment if you do not have a calculator or other materials with you. Pre-Tests There will be a 2 question closed book pre-test for each experiment at the beginning of each lab. The possible questions for the pre-test for each experiment will be available on Mr. Climer s Web page. You will have 5 minutes to do the pre-test. There will be no make-ups for the pre-test if you are late for class or miss a class. It will be recorded as a ZERO 2

Lab Reports Follow the format shown in this syllabus as to how to keep your lab notebook. Because of the pre-test you will not be required to write theory or procedure in your report. Finish the report write-up and turn in your lab notebook before you leave the lab. UNLESS TOLD OTHERWISE. A total of 10 experiments will be performed. Please see the lab schedule. Composition of your final grade*: The purposes of the final grade are (1) To define and communicate the student s level of educational achievement and (2) To motivate students to greater effort. There will be a total of 1,100 points which can be earned during the course. The best 10 of 11 assignments will compose the lab reports portion of your grade. The first lab missed will count as the dropped grade, and will be allowed as a make-up only under the most extreme circumstances. If all 11 assignments are completed, the lowest grade will be dropped. Points Percentage Pre tests and Lab Reports (best 10 of 11) 1000 80% Final Exam 100 20 % Total 1100 100 % Grading Scale*: A 90.0%; B=80.0-89.9%; C=70.0-79.9%; D=60.0-69.9%; F<60.0% UTC Handbook: A represents superior performance in the course. B represents commendable performance in the essentials of the course. C represents acceptable performance in the essentials of the course. D represents marginal performance below the acceptable standards of university work. F indicates unqualified failure and the necessity for repeating the course to obtain credit. Tentative Experiment Schedule Spring 2014 Date F Jan 10th F Jan 17th Experiment Introduction to Laboratory Human Response Time F Jan 24th F Jan 31st F Feb 7th F Feb 14th F Feb 21st F Feb 28th F Mar 7th F Mar 14th F Mar 21st F Mar 28th F April 4th F April 11th Acceleration due to Gravity Picket Fence* Projectile Motion Simple Pendulum NO LAB TODAY Spring Constant Lenses Ohm s Law* Spring Break Standing Waves on a String Sea Floor Spreading* Parallax Final Exam Note: This is a tentative schedule and is subject to modification at the discretion of the instructor, the University, or the availability of equipment. * DENOTES COMPUTER ASSISTED LAB. 3

Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive; including all labs performed in the course and will be a written exam. You will be able to use your Lab Notebook as a reference for the final. Cheating and Plagiarism policy: Although you may work with a lab partner during the experiment, lab reports should be written individually as it is important that your assignment be completed with your thoughts alone. It is important that if you need help or assistance, you seek it out from fellow students or the instructor in order to get the most understanding of the concept or assignment. However, if you receive help from anyone else, you must acknowledge their help by placing their name under yours on the top right corner of the first page of the report. If we find that two students copied their lab reports from each other, the lab reports will be returned ungraded and neither student will receive credit for the lab report. Please read and heed the following information regarding academic dishonesty in cheating and plagiarism. The instructor cannot and will not tolerate academic dishonesty. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: 1. Supplying or using work or answers that are not your own. 2. Providing or accepting assistance with completing examinations. 3. Faking data or results. Plagiarism can be defined as, but is not limited to: 1. Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment. 2. Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill. 3. Turning in another student s work (past or present) with or without that student s knowledge. 4. Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation. For more information, refer to the UTC Student Handbook. *All grading scales, point values, and schedules are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. It is the responsibility of the student to keep up with changes to these items that are announced in class or on my web page.. Midterm grades will be written on the inside cover of your lab notebook. Uncompleted or missing labs, etc. count as ZEROS towards the midterm grade reported. Note: As per department policy, at the end of the semester, one lab report grade will be dropped. If you miss a lab, the report for that lab will automatically be counted as your dropped lab. If you miss a lab, you will still be held responsible for all information about that lab on the Final Exam 4

If you wish to get your final grade in the course before the University sends you notification by U.S. Mail, give me a self addressed stamped envelope and I will mail it to you. NO POSTAGE; NO SEND!!! Otherwise you will have to wait for UTC to send you your grades I can no longer post grades and I do not use Blackboard. I am also not allowed to send grades by e-mail. General Science 1110L Laboratory Spring 2014 How to Write a Lab Report Part 1: 5 minute pre-test You re regular or weekly lab report consists of two parts. Part 1 is your Pre-Test, which goes on a separate piece of paper. Part 2 in the lab report that you will write in your lab notebook. At the beginning of the laboratory, students will be given a 5-minute pre-test. It will consist of two questions concerning that day's lab. You must come to class on time, as no late quizzes will be given. It is advisable that you read the material in your lab manual a day or two before you come to class and also read over the possible pre-test questions. The pre test questions are also located on my Web Page. Part 2: Report The parts of the report are as follows. Objective: Write one or two sentences telling what the purpose of the experiment is. What was it designed to accomplish? (5 points) Apparatus: Give a brief, clear description of the apparatus used. A sketch may be preferable if the apparatus is complicated. (5 points) Original Data: This is the data you record while doing the experiment. An example of how to set up the data table for each lab is at the end of each lab handout. (20 points) Sample Calculations and Graphs: An example or sample calculation of each unique (different) calculation used in working with your original data must be shown in this section of the report. A sample calculation consists of the following parts. a. The formula. F = (m) (a) for example b. Plug numbers and units into formula. F = (5.00 Kg) (8.00m/s2) c. And finally the result with proper units. F = 40.00 N d. Each sample calculation should appear in your report on one continuous line, which may be continued on to the next line if the calculation exceeds the width of the paper. Each sample calculation 5

must be separated by one or two blank lines from other sample calculations so it is clear which is which. Sample calculations must also be set apart from any text so as to make clear what sample calculation is and which are comments or information about that particular calculation. (See below) Format of how a sample Calculation should appear in your Lab Report: F = (m)(a) = (5.00 Kg) (8.00m/s 2 ) = 40.00 N Also remember units are to be carried throughout all intermediate steps until the final answer as shown above. Other types of sample calculations that must appear in this section of your report include, but are not limited to; Calculations of the slope of a straight line, per cent error or difference calculations, averages, Standard Deviation, etc. GRAPHS Graphs must have both axes labeled with proper units and must have a title at the top of of the graph stating what the two variables are, that are being graphed. The units of each variable that is being plotted in the graph must also be included in the title. Total (30 Points) Note: If no graphs are done in a particular lab experiment, the total of the 30 points will apply to the sample calculations. Results: The result is the answer to the objective. It could consist of a table if more than one result is expected. For example, if two methods are used to get the same result, then answers from both methods must be included in this section. Remember to indicate which result comes from which method. Answers to Per cent error and per cent difference calculations from the Best Experimental" or "True" value should appear here too. (10 points) Conclusions: Give you opinion of what can be concluded from your results. If the objective was to prove a law using our experimental results, state whether that data EXPERIMENTAL ERRORS. MISTAKES are NOT to be reported as sources of errors in your lab report. (10 points) This is also the section to put any answers to questions asked about the lab. Note: Each section of the report is to be labeled by its title (NO NUMBERS) and set apart from every other section, using a blank space, so as to make it clear where one section of the report ends and the next section begins. 6