PHYSICS LABORATORY II M - Z

Module EXERCISES

The approach used in this Course is experimental and applied. Learning objectives specific to this Course are:

§  Understanding electromagnetic and optical  phenomena from an experimental, practical perspective.

§  Becoming skilled in assembling electric circuits, in building  electric, magnetic and  optical  devices, and  in performing measurements of physical quantities and  technical specifications.

§  Gaining  basic  knowledge about the  working  principles of instruments, mastering general methods and  developing skills useful  in investigating electromagnetic and  optical  phenomena not necessarily already presented in the  Course.

§  Gaining  basic  knowledge and  developing skills useful  in designing new devices in the  concerned scientific field.

§  Develop the ability to correctly analyze scientific data and  to present an experiment in a good- quality  scientific paper where the  data are  analyzed and  results are  presented and  interpreted. 

Develop the ability to communicate the  results of a scientific measurement or experiment in an exhaustive, clear, efficient and  correct fashion.

In addition, in the frame of the so-called Dublin Descriptors, this course helps  attain the  following cross-disciplinary competences:

Knowledge and understanding:

§  Inductive and deductive reasoning.

§  Ability to formalize the description of a natural phenomenon in terms of scalar and vector physical quantities.

§  Ability to formulate a problem using  suitable mathematical relationships (such  as algebraic,

§  integral or differential) among physical quantities, and  then solve  it by means of analytical or numerical methods.

§  Ability to arrange and set up a simple  experimental apparatus, and  to use  scientific instruments for thermal, mechanical and  electromagnetic measurements.

§  Ability to perform statistical analysis of data.

Applying knowledge and understanding:

§  Ability to apply the gained knowledge in order to describe physical phenomena using  rigorously the scientific method.

§  Ability to design simple  experiments and  perform analysis of their  experimental data in all domains of Physics  including those with technological spinoff.

Making judgements:

§  Developing critical thinking.

§  Ability to find the best methods to critically analyze, elaborate and interpret experimental data. Ability to understand the predictions of a theory or model.

§  Ability to evaluate accuracy of measurements, linearity of instrumental response, sensitivity and selectivity of employed techniques.

Communication skills:

§  Ability to orally present, using fluent scientific language and appropriate scientific vocabulary, a scientific topic, including any underlying motivations and illustrating any results.

§  Ability to report in writing, using  fluent scientific language and  appropriate scientific vocabulary, on a scientific topic,  including any underlying motivations and  illustrating any results.

This course alternates 3 cycles of lectures in the Classroom with 3 corresponding cycles of practical sessions in the Lab. The course begins with a first cycle of lectures in the Classroom, which is followed by a corresponding first cycle of practical sessions in the Lab. Then we continue with the second cycle of lectures in the Classroom, and so on.

The classroom lectures introduce the working principles of scientific instruments and present the experimental setups of some experiments aimed at illustrating electromagnetic and optical  phenomena, at verifying  natural laws, and  at measuring physical properties in the  same fields.  Procedures to analyze and ways to present the data that will be collected in the Lab are specifically highlighted.

During the cycles of practical sessions in the Lab the students actually perform the experiments and make the measurements  previously introduced by the  Classroom lectures.

During the periods devoted to lectures in the Classroom there are NO sessions in the Lab. During the periods devoted to practical sessions in the Lab there are NO lectures in the classroom.

Should circumstances require the lectures to be given online on in a mixed manner, some variations to the mechanisms illustrated above may become necessary, aiming however at fulfilling the planned course programme.

6 CFUs (corresponding to 7 hours each) are dedicated to lectures in the Classroom for a total of 42 hours, while 6 CFUs (corresponding to 15 hours each) are devoted to the practical sessions in the Lab with a total of 90 hours. Altogether, thus, this 12-CFU Course comprises 132 hours of teaching.

Basic knowledge of experimental uncertainties and data analysis methods is mandatory.

Basic knowledge of mathematical analysis, electricity, magnitism and optics is important.

It is useful, and thus it is strongly recommended, to have already passed the exams of all General Physics courses.

Attendance to both lectures in the Classroom and experimental sessions in Lab is mandatory.

At both, student's signatures are collected in a sign-up sheet.

Classroom lectures are normally held 2 or 3 times per week, 2 hours each lecture.

Lab sessions are held normally 3 times per week, 2 hours each session.

Description and subsequent execution of 27 experiments aimed to measure physics quantities and/or to verify physical laws in the fields of electromagnetism, optics and the most recent technological fields (solar energy). Analysis of the collected experimental data.

The detailed program is listed in the Section "Programmazione" (in Italian only).

The teacher does  not follow any textbook specifically, but utilizes  material from different sources. Studying the slides  shown  during  the  lectures is normally adequate  to pass the  exam.

For the laboratory experiments, Instruction Manuals are provided. They can also be downloaded from the

Course web site (in Italian only): Instructions.

For students who wish to dwell deeper into the subjects of the Course, the  following list is a selection of textbooks and  other material concerning data analysis methods, electrical and  optical  instrumentation used in this Course, and  related experimental procedures.

A. FOTI, C. GIANINO: Elementi di analisi dei dati sperimentali, Liguori Ed., Napoli

J. R. TAYLOR: Introduzione all'analisi degli errori, Zanichelli Ed., Bologna

ISO (Int.Standard Org.): Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, Ginevra

L. KIRKUP, B. FRENKEL: An Introduction to Uncertainty in Measurement, Cambridge University Press

L. G. PARRAT: Probability and Experimental Errors in Science, Wiley & Sons  Inc.,N.Y.

F. TYLER: A Laboratory Manual of Physics, Edward Arnold Ed., London

M. SEVERI: Introduzione alla sperimentazione fisica, Ed. Zanichelli, Bologna

E.  ACERBI: Metodi e strumenti di misura, Città Studi Ed., Milano

G. CORTINI, S. SCIUTI: Misure ed apparecchi di Fisica (Elettricità), Veschi Ed., Roma

R. RICAMO: Guida alle esperimentazioni di Fisica, Vol. 2°, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano

F. W. SEARS: Ottica, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano

G. E. FRIGERIO: I laser, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano

The exams consists of: a) evaluation of a written scientific report on one of the experiments performed in the Lab; b) an oral discussion.

Upon completion of all Lab cycles the teacher assigns an experiment to each student. Students are given a deadline by which they all must deliver their written report to the teacher. 

For the oral discussion, 8 exam session are usually set for every Academic Year. Dates can be found in the official website of the Bachelor Degree in Physics Course: http://www.dfa.unict.it/corsi/L-30/esami.

It should be understood that these dates refer to the oral discussion only, as the written report should have been already delivered by all students at the end of the teaching period of the Academic Year in which they attended the course.

The experiment on which the report is to be written may be any one of the 27 performed in the Lab. The choice is randomly made by the teacher exclusively, at the time of assignement.

Some of the topics of the oral discussion are the following: