Requirements:

You will need the Physics 128 Lab Manual that can be purchased in the bookstore.  In addition you will need a basic scientific calculator that can use scientific notation. 

Lab Policies

General Information:
Your laboratory session meets once a week. All lab assignments and readings will be announced either in your lecture or in the previous week's lab.  It is your responsibility to be aware of the lab assignment for each week.  The lab will consist of a number of experiments or demonstrations.  You will work in groups taking data, calculating quantities or observing the experiment. You will be expected to have read the lab manual section for a given week’s lab before coming to class.

As you work through the lab exercises you will fill out the lab manual. When you have completed the lab exercise(s) you should show you lab to your instructor or the student TA so that it can be checked.  In some of the labs you will receive a lab homework assignment once your lab manual has been checked.  This homework assignment contains questions that about the lab topic and the particular data that you acquired or analyzed in the lab. In other labs you will be asked to write a lab report. The lab report or homework assignment will be due at the beginning of the next lab meeting.

Grading:
Your lab grade for each session will be determined in two parts.  The first 15 points of your lab grade will be given for completing the lab exercises in lab.   The other 35 points will be based on your graded lab homework or lab report for the week. The overall grade for the lab will be based on these individual 50 point lab grades.  Your lowest lab grade will be dropped and the sum of remaining labs will be used to compute a percentage score out of 100.  This number will be the amount of points you receive for the overall lab grade.

Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. The physics 128 lab is offered three times a week, (at 2:40 on Monday and 10:30 and 2:40 on Tuesday.)  If you can not attend your scheduled lab a given week but can attend at the other lab time see your instructor and he will make arrangements for you to attend the other session. You will be allowed one excused absence that will be treated as your lowest lab and dropped.  In the case of prolonged illness or other situation requiring multiple lab absences you are responsible for making arrangements with your instructor for alternative methods of completing the lab portion of the course.

Remember you must pass the laboratory to pass the course!