| Unit name | Practical Physics I |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHYS10007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Springell |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Normally A-level Physics and A-level Mathematics or equivalent. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
PHYS10006 Core Physics I: Mechanics and Matter and PHYS10005 Core Physics II: Oscillations, Waves and Fields |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School of Physics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The aim of the unit is to introduce students to basic laboratory skills and techniques used by physicists. These include:
To receive credit for this unit, students must make a reasonable attempt at every aspect of the teaching and assessment, including pre- and post-laboratory work, practical experiments, formal reports and any workshop activities. Failure to do so may result in credit being withheld, even if the overall mark is above the pass mark for the unit.
Supplementary or resit assessment of this unit is only possible through engagement in the following academic year.
Students should be able to:
use basic laboratory equipment safely and with confidence, carry out a basic experiment investigating a new (to the student) physics principle, make an estimate of the random and systematic errors in an experimental measurement, combine the uncertainties in experimental measurements in order to obtain a quantitative evaluation of the uncertainty in the final result, carry out a basic literature review before commencing an experiment, plan and execute an experiment, noting and minimising the effects of possible sources of error in the measurements, understand the safety requirements of an experimental procedure, know how to record experimental setups and procedures in a laboratory notebook and how to accurately record measurements, use a computer for quantitative data analysis and for the formal presentation of graphical data, present a basic formal report of their results in the form expected for publication in a scientific journal and to understand the relevance of each section (abstract, references etc.) understand the need to correctly reference other people’s work (i.e. not to plagiarise material) and to understand the basic requirements of copyright.
Students will carry out their experiments under the guidance of an experienced post-graduate demonstrator who will question and challenge a student's understanding of the experiment and the apparatus. Formative assessment with verbal and written feedback from the demonstrator is given for the early experiments and the first formal report. Informative feedback is given on each summatively assessed component in notebooks and with formal reports.
60% of the summative assessment of the unit comprises the formal assessment of practical assignments and includes assessment of pre-laboratory work, execution of the experiment and analysis of the data to produce final results. 40% of the assessment comprises the marks assigned to two formal experimental reports that are marked by graduate students and moderated by academic staff demonstrators.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHYS10007).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
