Fall 2009

(Last update: August 25, 2009 by Matthew C. Sullivan)

Physics 114: Introduction to Experimental Physics
Fall 2009
Th 1:10 - 3:50 PM and Tue 12:05-1:10 PM
Room: CNS 204

Course Organizer:

Matthew C. Sullivan
Office: CNS 262 or CNS 275 (lab)
Phone: 274-3964
email: mcsullivan@ithaca.edu
Office Hours: M,F 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, T 11:00 AM -12:00 PM
and by appointment

Professors:

Dan Briotta, CNS 268, briotta@ithaca.edu
Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, CNS 267, bclark@ithaca.edu
Andrew Crouse, CNS 272, acrouse@ithaca.edu
Luke Keller, CNS 264, lkeller@ithaca.edu
Matthew Price, CNS 266, mprice@ithaca.edu
Michael "Bodhi" Rogers, CNS 265, mrogers@ithaca.edu
Matthew C. Sullivan, CNS 262, mcsullivan@ithaca.edu

Course Philosophy
This course is an introduction to modern experimental physics for all beginning physics majors or those considering the major. Students will become acquainted with some modern experimental tools that they will use throughout their career in physics. This course will also serve as an introduction to the Physics Department at Ithaca College, as each professor here will lead a short, hands-on project. Each project will be different according to each faculty member's interests, but all of the projects will have similar aspects, including an emphasis on data-taking as well as data analysis via computers. Almost all modern physics work is collaborative work, so students will be asked to work together in groups.

All students are also expected to attend at least four Physics Department seminars. The seminars are held every other Tuesday from 12:05-1:10 PM. In addition to learning physics during your career at Ithaca College, we hope our students will also become adept at speaking about physics. Attending these seminars will help you learn how to speak about physics. Additionally, the seminars are designed to let our students know about the many interesting branches and opportunities in physics. Click here for the seminar schedule.

You can find the entire syllabus here .

Course Schedule:

Date	Topic	Professor
Aug. 27	Measurements and Error	Luke Keller
Sept. 3	Measurements and Error; Spreadsheet worksheet	Dan Briotta
Sept. 10	Remote Sensing	Bodhi Rogers
Sept. 17	Remote Sensing	Bodhi Rogers
Sept. 24	Astronomical Viewing at the Ford Observatory	Dan Briotta
Oct. 3	Astronomical Viewing at the Ford Observatory	Dan Briotta
Oct. 8	Spectroscopic Studies	Luke Keller
Oct. 22	Spectroscopic Studies	Luke Keller
Oct. 29	Sustainability andAlternative Energy	Beth Clark Joseph
Nov. 5	No Class	Hidden Text in this box!
Nov. 12	Physics Education Research	Matt Price
Nov. 19	Physics Education Research	Andrew Crouse
Dec. 3	Thermal Conductivity	Matthew C. Sullivan
Dec. 10	Thermal Conductivity	Matthew C. Sullivan

Seminar: You must attend at least four seminars. Seminars are alternate Tuesdays at 12:05 PM to 1:10 PM.

Date:	Speaker:
Sept. 1	Planning the Ithaca College Uranidrome: Where are we and where do we want to be	Matthew Price and Nathan Porter, Department of Physics, Ithaca College
Sept. 15	Multidisciplinary Sustainability Modules: Integrating STEM Courses	Jason Hamilton, Department of Biology, Ithaca College
Sept. 29	Robotic Telescopes, Hubble's Constant, The Oosterhoff Dichotomy and the Island of Magic	Shashi Kanbur, Department of Physics, SUNY Oswego
Oct. 13	The Use and Feasibility of Wind Power	Dave Strong, Sustainable Energy Development
Oct. 27	Summer Student Research Talks	Judith Olson, Sarah Burleson, Arnold Kotlyarevsky
Nov. 10	Summer Student Research Talks: REU Experiences	Adam Iaizzi, Jill Neeley
Dec. 1	Summer Student Research Talks	Katy Kwasny and students from the Room-Temperature Astrophysics Lab