The purpose of this course is to learn how to carry out physical experiments.  The experimental exercises are chosen to illustrate certain principles of so-called Modern Physics, the statistical treatment of experimental error, and the maintenance of a laboratory notebook.

During the first two to three of weeks of the semester, we'll study the analysis of experimental uncertainty--the uncertainty in measurement.  During this period we'll meet 2 or 3 times per week just as an ordinary lecture class does.  There will be graded homework assignments.

Thereafter, the class will break up into teams, and carry out a series of experimental exercises drawn from Modern Physics and Optics.  Teams are expected to work on the exercises during two 3-hour  periods per week, setting up and taking data.  Those periods will be determined by each team according to when team members can get together.

Individuals will maintain a lab notebook, keeping a log of the experimental activity--background reading, equipment setup, data, and analysis of the data.  This notebook will be graded in its own right, and will be used as reference during the Final Exam at the end of the semester.