Physics 121: Experimental Techniques
Class meets TTh 2:00 to 3:20 PM, Warren Lecture Hall (WLH) 2123.
The lab session formally meets Wednesday: 2:00 to 6:00 PM in WLH 2120
See
The UCSD Time Schedule for enrollment information.
Also see the
Academic Calendar for information on class dates and holidays.
Professor and Teaching Assistant Contact Info
Tom Murphy
SERF Buliding (930), Room 336, 534-1844
tmurphy@physics.ucsd.edu
Office hours: Monday 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Office hours also by appointment (e-mail, phone, personal, drop by)
Darcy Barron
dbarron@physics.ucsd.edu
Office: will use WLH 2120 (lab) as office
Office hours: Monday 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and Tuesday 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Office hours also by appointment
Course Textbook
Building Scientific Apparatus Third Edition, by John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, and Michael A. Coplan; Perseus Books, Cambridge, MA; ISBN 0-8133-4006-3. Text is hard to get, so the bookstore has made (cheap) copies of the relevant parts of the book for you.
Course Description
A laboratory-lecture course designed to give undergraduate students experiences useful in modern physics laboratories. Topics covered include: mechanical design and machining; mechanics of materials; thermal design and control; vacuum and cryogenic technologies; optical raytracing and optics design; useful laboratory electronics; computer interface to scientific equipment. The laboratory portion will consist of mini-projects aimed at developing proficiency in the lecture topics. These will involve design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of a variety of original test apparatus.