Physics 2U

Introduction

 The P2U skills module is primarily directed at those students not taking the P2X and P2Y modules but who wish to devolop their experimental and analytical skills.  The P2U skills module spans both teaching periods and is continuously assessed. A range of additional transferrable skill is also taught throughout both teaching periods. These include:-

• a) IT
• b) library training and information retrieval
• c) report writing
• d) library research project
• e) oral presentation

Aims

The aim of the P2U skills course is to make the student proficient in a wide range of transferable skills by giving training in several different areas and requiring the student to undertake a number of tasks which are drawn from the following areas:-

• a) IT,
• b) use of specialised aparatus for making measurements on physical systems, recording and analysing data,
• c) library training,
• d) report writing,
• e) information retrieval project,
• f) oral presentation.

During progression through the skills course the student is increasingly expected apply these skills to the planning of experimental work, the analysis and reporting of results. During the skills course the student is expected to attempt ten tasks four of which are self select from a wide range of experiments.

Objectives

On completion of the IT + Excel task you should be able to:-

• use a PC for word processing, be able to use the drawing package and the equation editor, cut / paste drawings and equations to and from a document;
• use Excel to present data on a spread sheet, manipulate data, draw graphs;
• fit experimental data using the least squares fitting procedures provide by Excel and other data fitting techniques.

On completion of the library research project you should be able to:-

• use the facilities of the library to access information, to obtain references and cross references to documents and papers;
• carry out a literature search and write a fully word processed report on the search containing a bibliography and references.

On completion of the Maple task you should be able to:-

• carry out simple algebraic manipulation, integration, differentiation and summation.

On completion of the experimental tasks you should be able to:-

• design an appropriate strategy for taking data in a given experimental situation;
• employ a range of apparatus to perform specified experimental measurements;
• estimate errors when making measurements, decide which are the more sensitive measurements in determining the accuracy of the quantity being investigated, estimate the error in the quantity being measured from the errors in your measurements;
• keep a clear and concise laboratory record of your work and observations.

On completion of your laboratory report you should be able to:-

• write a concise account of one of your chosen laboratory experiments, present the data clearly, give a full analysis of your results together with an estimate of the errors and present a conclusion.

On completion of your oral presentation you should be able to:-

• prepare material for and make over-head transparencies, present this material clearly and audibly in a short talk and keep to the time limit.
  

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Skills Tasks and Allocation of Laboratory Time and Marks.

First teaching period.
TASK                 Lab Time hrs               Marks
IT and Test              3                       5
Excel                    9                      15
Short Report             3                      10
Exp x 2                 12                      20
Library Training +
Library Research 
Project                  6                      10


Second teaching period.
TASK                  Lab Time hrs              Marks
Exp x 2                  12                     20
Maple                     9                     10
Report                    3                     10
Oral
Presentation              0.25                  10

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