Syllabus_1AL_fall_2024_Posted Sept 24.pdf

Welcome to Physics 1AL Lab (Fall, 2024) The Physics 1 series lab curriculum has been developed with the following goals: (1) To concentrate on the fundamental concepts of measurements and basics of data analysis. (2) To create relevant and use...

Welcome to Physics 1AL Lab (Fall, 2024) The Physics 1 series lab curriculum has been developed with the following goals: (1) To concentrate on the fundamental concepts of measurements and basics of data analysis. (2) To create relevant and useful labs for non-physics majors. (3) To foster skills in accurate, concise scientific communication. NOTE: PHYS 1 lectures and labs are separate courses, taught by separate instructors. Different physics instructors teach the material using slightly different schedules, so there may be times that the material covered in lab will not match what is covered in lecture. When the lab material is ahead of the lecture material, you will be expected to read ahead in the text. Each lab manual will ask you to read the relevant sections in the text. Sometimes the lectures will help you do the lab, and sometimes the lab will help you understand the lectures. COURSE MATERIALS What you need to bring to each lab (required). An internet connected device such as: laptop, or a tablet (minimum size 5” x 7”). You will use this device to take the pre-lab quiz at the beginning of the lab session1 ▪ If you do not have such a device, you must inform your TA at least 24 hours in advance so that a computer station can be provided to you. You will NOT need to purchase a Lab Manual ▪ The lab manual will be provided for you as a PDF file on Canvas ▪ Do not use older copies of the lab manual, using older copies of the lab manual will result in a zero grade for the assignment in question. Your lab logbook. To be purchased in the UCSD bookstore. ▪ item’s name: Environotes Quad Ruled 5 x 5 notebook. ▪ (this will be referred to as your Lab Logbook) ▪ You must purchase one of these lab notebooks – it can be used for all three quarters. ▪ (do not use other brands/styles of notebook) Pen(s), a pencil, and scientific calculator. TEXTBOOK AND REQUIRED READING Each lab in your Lab manual has a section called “Required Reading”. It contains pointers to the Online textbook at: www.kudu.com (see instructions on course website for access to the lab version of the text). Because Kudu is a professor-editable digital text, the version you are provided by your 1 if you do not have a suitable device that you can bring to lab, please email the instructional team ASAP so we can arrange a suitable accommodation for you. lecture professor may differ in chapter order or numbering – be sure to use the free lab version of the Kudu text when referencing the Required Reading section pointers. Performing these assigned readings as well as completing the pre-lab assignments is important preparation for being able to understand the experiments, doing well on the quizzes, and writing an appropriate lab conclusion. PRE-LAB ASSIGNMENTS Pre-Lab assignments should be done at home before the lab, but the Lab Quiz on Canvas is intended as an IN-LAB QUIZ to be administered under TA supervision at the start of lab. The pre-lab preparation is not graded but is essential preparation for the pre-lab quiz and successful completion of the lab work. You must NOT access the quiz EXCEPT when you are in your lab section and asked by your TA to do so. A violation will result in a zero for the quiz, will be considered a violation of academic integrity, and subject to the appropriate penalties and reporting. IN-LAB PROCEDURES IN-CLASS LAB QUIZ During the first 20 minutes of your lab section, you will take a quiz based on the information in the lab procedure, the pre-lab material, associated reading, and calculations you did in completing the previous lab. Each quiz will consist of 5 multiple choice questions with the following format: 1-2 questions based on the in lab procedure for the upcoming lab: make sure to read the lab manual carefully to prepare 1-2 conceptual questions regarding the upcoming lab: These calculations will not be calculation intensive but will test your conceptual understanding of the physics for the upcoming lab. The assigned readings include the necessary information to be successful on these questions 2-4 questions on the material from the previous lab: These questions are intended to test your comprehension of the material covered in the previous week’s lab including analysis performed as part of the report. To prepare you should make sure you understand the calculations you performed as part of the analysis and also that you are comfortable with the calculations expected for the questions in the previous week’s pre-lab preparation. While this preparation should be done prior to performing the lab, we hope that by delaying the quiz you have the opportunity to solidifying your understanding (and ask questions in office hours if you are unsure how to complete any of the calculations). Special note for quiz taken at the start of lab #1: Your first quiz of the quarter will take place at the start of your first lab. It will include the first two types of questions above but instead of material from a previous lab it will contain one or more questions based on the syllabus as well as the information provided in Chapter 0: Uncertainty and Error – so be sure to read them carefully! Finally, you can expect 1-2 questions on the first quiz based on material covered in the math bootcamp, so please do take the bootcamp seriously and come to office hours for additional help if there are problems you do not know how to solve. You will take your quiz on your own laptop or tablet2 (“iPad mini” / 8”-diagonal screen or larger; no cell phones allowed). The quiz is closed book, but you are allowed a double-sided 4” x 6” (index card size) hand-written “cheat sheet”. The cheat sheet MUST be hand-written (no printing allowed). You may access ONLY the Canvas Quiz page on your screen - throughout the duration of the quiz. You must bring a stand-alone scientific calculator to use for your quiz (no phone-based calculators allowed). The use of a calculator app (or any change of computer focus from the Canvas Quiz page) on your quiz- taking device is recorded by Canvas as having left the Canvas pages and doing so could result in an automatic zero for the quiz. BEING LATE TO LAB Being late to lab is extremely disruptive for the other students and the TA. As the quiz is administered during the first 20 minutes of the lab, being late will reduce the time you will have to complete it. No extension will be allowed. TA’s will start the experimental portion of the lab after 20 minutes and all students must stop work on quizzes at that time regardless of their state of progress on their quiz. One point will be taken off your lab score if you are 0.1 – 10 minutes late, two points if you are 11 – 20 minutes late, and three points if you are 21 – 30 minutes late. Students who are more than 20 minutes late will not be allowed to take the quiz and will be given a zero for that quiz. Students who arrive more than 30 minutes late will not be permitted to do the lab and will be given a zero for that lab. IN-LAB CONDUCT During lab, all students have a responsibility to their lab partners to be fully engaged and participating in the lab process at all times. To minimize distractions, the use of any personal electronics during lab is prohibited without prior permission from the TA – except when being used as a necessary measuring device (e.g., as a stop-watch for an experiment). After the quiz is completed, paper copies of the lab instructions and conclusion questions will be provided to each lab bench, and notes must be taken directly into your log notebook in pen; so the use of a laptops or tablets should not be necessary for the lab. Any notes you feel you need during the experiment should be printed/written out on paper ahead-of-time and brought with you. If you have special circumstance which make this policy an undue burden, please contact the professor ASAP to request an appropriate accommodation. IN-LAB CHECKPOINTS At the start of each lab, the TA will reveal 3-4 checkpoints that will help guide you through the lab. These must be completed and shown to the TA. Up to 1 point may be deducted for each incomplete 2 f you do not have a suitable device that you can bring to lab, please email the instructional team ASAP so we can arrange a suitable accommodation for you. checkpoint. These missing-checkpoint deductions will be combined with point deductions for tardiness and/or lack of active participation and subtracted from your conclusions score in Canvas. Each student is responsible for having a FULL copy of all necessary data in their notebook before they leave the lab. Each student is responsible for obtaining their TA’s signature at the end of their data before they leave the lab. Please note that labs are only 110 minutes long, and the schedule does not permit students to stay late to complete a lab. LAB LOGBOOK GUIDELINES The in-lab experiments will contain both quantitative and qualitative procedures. Notes and observation on in-lab procedures should be made in your Lab Logbook. Experiments requiring quantitative data and calculations must be clearly recorded in your Lab Logbook. Your in-lab notes must be hand-written in pen in your lab logbook. ALL your notes should be made directly into the logbook. Record your data neatly, make your graphs, and work out the quantities needed during the lab. The raw data and notes in your lab logbook should be legible and complete, so that at a later date you can recreate and understand what you did in the lab. It is your responsibility to be sure you have all the data in your Lab Logbook before you leave the lab. Do NOT count on getting any data from a lab partner later. LAB REPORT (LAB CONCLUSIONS) At home, working on your own, you are expected to use a word-processor program to type* out the answers to the Conclusion Questions for the lab you just completed. The answers to these Conclusion Questions constitutes your “Lab Report”. WRITING YOUR REPORT The “Lab Report” is not a full, traditional lab report (i.e., no abstract, introduction, conclusion, etc.). You must simply compile the answers to the Conclusion Questions as your lab report. But your answers should be written in complete sentences with sufficient context given for the reader to understand what information you are trying to convey by answering the question. Your answers must always have appropriate units, uncertainties, explanations, and labels (for figures and graphs). See the Student Success Guide for more details. Partial credit will be given on lab reports, so it is in your interest to attempt all problems and explain your work. SUBMITTING YOUR REPORT The conclusion (lab report) must be submitted in two places before the deadline indicated in the course calendar (generally, by the start of your regular class time, 1 week after you completed the lab). Late submissions will result in points deducted for tardiness, as detailed in the Grading section below. You must upload (1) a document file (e.g., “.doc” or “.docx” file from MS Word or Google Docs) to Canvas to be processed for plagarism violations via Turnitin, and (2) a PDF file to Gradescope for actual grading. Be sure to tag the page(s) for each question in the submission process for Gradescope! Note: Conclusion Question #1 of every lab report asks you to submit photographs of all of your raw data pages. For legibility, photograph/scan one single side of a single page of your lab notebook per image and insert that image as a full-sized image on its own page. Be sure all images are upright, that the first page contains the FULL names of your lab partners, and that the last page clearly shows the TA’s signature. ELIGIBILITY TO SUBMIT You must have attended the lab and participated in the data collection to be eligible to turn-in the associated conclusion. Submitting data that you did not take is a violation of Academic Integrity. Lab conclusions must represent your individual effort to answer conclusion questions and must be based on the data you and your lab partners obtained during the lab. OFFICE HOURS A number of office hours will be held by members of the instructional team throughout the week. Some office hours will be held in person while others will be held via Zoom. There is a full schedule of the times and locations (or Zoom links) of these office hours posted on Canvas. PROCEDURE: To maximize office hour efficiency , we ask students to fill out a ‘Question Submission Form’ https://forms.gle/R25d1B8T9nMtSw268 at least 2 hours prior to the start of the office hour being attended. This will allow the instructional team to organize the office hour, answer the most common issues first, and avoid repeating themselves. Please arrive on-time to the start of office hour. If you miss the answer to your question, it will not be repeated unless all other questions have been addressed. If being late is unavoidable, make a note of it in the form so we can schedule answering your question at the appropriate time in the office hour. Questions not submitted to the form before the deadline will only be addressed after all submitted questions have been dealt with (but you are still welcome to attend office hours even if you did not fill out the form. Special note for the office hours of Prof. Jessica Arlett: I do not use the question form for my office hours, please just come with your questions (and it is okay if you arrive anytime during my office hour). These office hours are an opportunity for you to: 1) Get help with any of the pre-lab preparations for the upcoming lab.  2) Get clarification‡* about the conclusion questions for the lab report you are working on. 3) Get help with pre-lab questions from the previous lab that you may be reviewing as part of your preparation for the upcoming quiz. 3) Ask to see what got right or wrong on a previous pre-lab quiz.§ 4) Understand why you were marked off on a previous lab report** GRADING Your final course grade for this lab course will be calculated in two ways. You will receive the higher of the two grades. Grade calculation #1 50% Lab Reports (after dropping your lowest grade) 45% Lab Quizzes (after dropping your lowest grade) 5% End-of-Quarter Exam Grade calculation #2 50% Lab Reports (after dropping your lowest grade) 30% Lab Quizzes (after dropping your lowest grade) 20% End-of-Quarter Exam GRADING SCALE The grading is based on the following fixed scale (no curving) : A+ ≥ 95.00%, A ≥ 90.00%, A- ≥ 85.00% , B+ ≥ 80.00%, B ≥ 75.00% , B- ≥ 70.00% , C+ ≥ 65.00% , C ≥ 60.00% , C- ≥ 55.00%, D ≥ 50.00% End-of-quarter Exam The end-of-quarter exam will be an in-lab practical exam based directly on the labs you completed during the quarter. It will be based both on in-lab procedures and the analysis performed as part of the lab reports. You can prepare by fully engaging in the labs throughout the quarter and ensuring you understand the relevant analysis/calculations. You will have the opportunity to revisit the equipment from all labs during an optional lab period (at your regular lab time) between lab#5 and the scheduled end-of-quarter exams. ‡ the lab reports are an evaluation of your understanding of the physics and procedures that were involved in the labs. The instructional team will guide you to better understand what the conclusion questions are asking for, but they will not provide direct answers to the conclusion questions or tell you if your answer is right or wrong before the due date for that report. § to maintain the integrity of the quiz question banks from quarter-to-quarter, we do not release past quizzes to students. But, during office hours, the instructional team is happy to look up your quiz and go over it with you together. ** The use of office hours for going over past lab reports should be limited to : (1) issues that have already been submitted for a regrade request on Gradescope but not received an adequate response there and/or questions not related to grading. (2) one or two specific issues per student unless all other student questions have already been addressed. ATTENDANCE/EMERGENCY/ILLNESS POLICY You must attend the lab section in which you are enrolled - switching labs is not allowed, make-ups will only be offered for documented excused absences as outlined below. Missing the lab section in which you are enrolled will result in a score of zero for that lab as you cannot submit a lab report without collecting the data yourself. A single lab report and quiz will be dropped from your grade. This may be used to drop a zero for a missed lab. Students missing a lab for an excused, documented reason (e.g. documented illness or family emergency) may, at the instructor’s discretion, be given the opportunity to make up both the quiz and lab. To be given a make-up opportunity students must reach out directly to the instructors: J. Arlett: [email protected] and P. Tsai: [email protected]) (speaking to your TA or LTAC is not sufficient) prior to the start of the lab you will miss. Please note that to make-up a lab you must reach out by the deadlines outlined below and provide appropriate documentation (no exceptions). The following absences due to excused commitments will be allowed make-ups if notified at least 7 days in advance with the stated documentation: athletic absences: note from UCSD athletics showing a documented conflict with a required competitive event military absences: official letter requiring presence for a military event conference travel: official documentation of participation at an academic conference unavoidable conflicts that fall outside of these categories will be considered on a case-by-case basis with appropriate documentation The following absences will be allowed make-ups if notified by the start of class and if documentation is provided within 24 hours: illness: must have a doctor’s note excusing the absence on the date of the lab or a post-visit summary with personal/medical details redacted from a doctor’s visit on the date of the lab. Self- reported home tests such as a positive COVID-19 test will be accepted only if within the picture (single image) there is also a note with your name, student ID and the date. family emergency: note from the dean of student affairs for your college. No personal details need to be shared with us. If you have an unavoidable conflict that you believe might qualify as an excused absence that does not fall under one of the above categories please reach out to the course instructors (Arlett and Tsai) as soon as you are aware of the conflict (and no later than the start of the lab you will miss, with details of the conflict and documentation for special consideration. If you do miss a lab, it is still your responsibility to turn in your previous lab report on time through Gradescope and Canvas. If your absence is due to circumstances that also prevent you from an on- time submission of your previous report, it is your responsibility to contact the instructors immediately to be considered for a potential late penalty waiver/extension. If you miss a lab you are also still responsible for preparing for questions relating to the analysis of that lab on the next quiz (even if we have arranged a make-up on a later date due to a documented absence) as well as material relating to the lab you missed that may appear on the end-of-quarter exam. To prepare for the quiz you are encouraged to work through the analysis (you can make up data for this purpose) as well as the pre-lab problems. We reiterate that you cannot submit a report with data you did not collect. To prepare for the end-of-quarter exam you are encouraged to come and familiarize yourself with the equipment from the lab during the open lab period the week before the end-of-quarter exams begin. ADMINISTRATIVE DEDUCTION (to avoid) No credit for submitting only one of the two required uploads (Gradescope AND Canvas) 2-point in-class penalty applied to lab report for policy violations or inappropriate behavior††. 1-point penalty applied to lab report for not collecting data in the specified lab logbook. 0.5-point deduction for failing to assign/tag all page numbers to each conclusion question when uploading your report to Gradescope. No credit for any portion of your report that is illegible. 20% deduction on any portion of your lab report that is difficult-to-read / barely legible. Penalties for Late Report Submission ◦ 1-point penalty for 0-24 hours late; 2-point penalty for 24-48 hours late; ◦ No credit for reports submitted more than 48 hours late. GRADE POSTING AND APPEALS Lab scores will be posted first to Gradescope and then intermittently (manually) synched to Canvas. It is your responsibility to check both system regularly to make sure your grades are correct. If there are any errors suspected, you must contact your TA to resolve the problem‡‡. All posted scores become final one week after they are posted on Gradescope. Regrade requests should be submitted through Gradescope. Be aware that a grade appeal can trigger a regrade of the entire lab - so your score could potentially go down. Only use a grade appeal if you are confident your grade does not adequately reflect the quality of your lab writeup; and can give specific details as to why and where you see a discrepancy in your appeal. †† in-class penalty applied per incident. Students exhibiting grossly or repeated inappropriate behavior will be asked to leave and will not be permitted to turn in a report for that lab. ‡‡ if you have submitted and received a regrade request approval, your updated score will first show up only on Gradescope. Synching of changed grades with Canvas is not automatic, and we generally do not re-synch after the initial release until the last week of class (but we guarantee that the scores will be carried over to Canvas before grades are finalized at the end of quarter.) ACADEMIC INTEGRITY During in-lab experimentation, we encourage you to share and discuss ideas with your classmates. However, all written work that you submit for a grade (reading quizzes, in-lab notes, calculations, and conclusions) must be your own. Be sure to show your work for all calculations and answer questions in your own words. Answers without the proper display of work may not receive credit. The sharing of answers to lab conclusion questions is considered a violation of academic integrity. Usage of online resources is discouraged as it significantly increases the chance of violating the academic integrity policy. If you need help to complete your assignments, please see the section titled Help, below. Any case of a student suspected of academic dishonesty will be submitted to the University’s Academic Integrity Office, and consequences may include failing the course, receiving a permanent mark on the student's transcript, or expulsion from the University of California. Examples of academic dishonesty include copying assignments from an online source, fellow or past students, or submitting work done by anyone other than yourself. Please see the university policy on academic integrity in the general catalog or at: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Appendices/2 OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES PUBLIC HEALTH There is absolutely no tolerance for violations of UCSD’s health policies. Any student found in violation of any of them will be dismissed and receive a 0 for that lab. The incident will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct with an Incident Report. https://blink.ucsd.edu/instructors/advising/misconduct.html LAB SAFETY All students are asked to wear closed toe/heel shoes to the lab. Please do not wear clothes or jewelry that may interfere with lab equipment (loose long sleeves, dangling bracelets, etc.) or that would prohibit you from participating in lab activities (standing on chairs or skateboards or kneeling on the floor). Do not wear anything that you value in the lab. All other safety equipment (goggles, gloves, etc.) will be provided in the lab. Horseplay is dangerous in a laboratory setting and students who are acting in a manner that is not safe will be asked to leave the lab and will be given zero credit for the lab. It is important to keep the lab a safe, clean environment. Always keep the equipment and the lab tables organized. Leave your lab table as clean as you found it. If you litter in the lab or leave your table in disarray, everyone at your lab table will lose points from your lab grade. ENROLLMENT ISSUES Policies for Lab Section Changes, Late Adds, Wait Lists, and Drops : All section changes must be handled via WebReg http://tritonlink.ucsd.edu. Late adds are not permitted. Waitlist students must attend lab and complete all assignments by the regular deadlines while they wait for an enrollment opening. Anyone enrolling late who has not done so must reach out to the instructors within 24 hours of enrolling in the course. Do not enroll in a section unless you are available that section every week. Do not attend a section you are not enrolled or waitlisted in. Please follow directions for wait listing in http://tritonlink.ucsd.edu via WebReg. NOTE: Neither the instructor nor LTACs have any control over course enrollment issues! For questions regarding any enrollment issues please contact the Physics Department via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) - http://vac.ucsd.edu ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Additionally, Academic support is provided to you (the student) each week during the quarter by the Teaching and Learning Commons (Academic Achievement Hub), via either Supplemental Instruction and/or online Tutoring. Please see the schedules by program and course. All academic support is free; no registration or appointment required. Stress and anxiety are not uncommon for students, even under the best of conditions and many students are facing increased mental health struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are struggling psychologically / emotionally, we encourage you to seek help via UCSD’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): CAPS BELONGING Belonging: Everyone registered for this course has a right to a positive classroom experience and has valuable contributions to make to our class. Our diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints will enrich the classroom, and we should be mindful of this diversity as we respectfully ask questions of and engage in conversations with one another throughout the course. We are dedicated to fostering an equitable atmosphere: let one of us know if you have suggestions or concerns regarding the course or a specific situation; alternately, you can bring concerns to another member of the faculty or staff. TESTING ACCOMODATIONS Students with testing accommodations will receive instructions by email from the course instructors following our receipt of your accommodations from OSD. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. CONTACTS In addition to your TA you may reach out to the Lab TA Coordinators (LTACs) and the course instructors for questions your TA can’t answer and complaints about TA performance or behavior. Your Lab TA Coordinators (LTACs) are: Jiashu Han [email protected] Sanchi Saita [email protected] Alex Bevier [email protected] Course Instructors: Jessica Arlett [email protected] Philbert Tsai [email protected] NOTE: Do not expect quick responses from your TA, the LTACs, or the instructors when emailing after hours or over Holidays or weekends. Plan ahead and do not leave things to the last minute to avoid such situations.