PHYS 524 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Survey of Instrumentation and Laboratory Techniques
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Instructors: George Gollin, Ivan Velkovsky, Gregory Hallewell, Brian Mercer, and Tim Barklow.
Teaching assistant/grader: Wei-Hsiang (Samuel) Peng
Course description
This course will introduce students to a broader spectrum of devices than they can be expected to encounter in their Physics 523 projects. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with some of the techniques available to them when defining and proposing a technical project in an unfamiliar domain. There will be two 50 minute classes each week, split into a discussion of basic principles and a simple hands-on laboratory exercise. The list of topics–which is not intended to be exhaustive–will evolve, according to the interests of the class and instructors. Material will be clustered into units of varying duration, as indicated on the Topics page. The lists of suggested readings and references are advisory; a large amount of material of excellent quality is now available on the worldwide web, particularly on the sites of university courses addressing the topics of each unit. There are no formal prerequisites other than prior completion of a rigorous undergraduate major (or minor) in physics, astronomy, or a related field.
Learning objectives
As a result of completing this course, students will be able to
- Identify devices, tool sets, and analysis techniques that might be relevant to execution of technical projects.
- Understand the relative merits and drawbacks of diverse approaches to accomplishing a particular end in a technical setting.
- Propose the most efficient (tool-dependent) sequencing of activities in a technical project.
Meeting Times
Two 50-minute class sessions per week (Tuesday, Thursday 1:00 - 1:50), split into a discussion of basic principles and a simple hands-on laboratory exercise.
Credit and grading
Students must register for this course in the fall semester for a total of 2 credit hours. Grading is by letter.
Academic Integrity
All activities in this course, including documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence, are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.