Welcome to the remote version of PHYS 211. While we are sorry that we will not be seeing you in the lab in person this quarter, we do have a plan to provide you with a meaningful and challenging experimental experience. Please keep in mind that plans are still evolving and things are likely to be modified on short notice as we proceed through the quarter. Running a remote experimental physics course is in and of itself an experiment. As in any experiment, we will evaluate the data as it comes in and make adjustments as needed to ensure the best possible experience for you.

Here is the most current information regarding how the course will run. Please note the date at the top of the page indicating the most recent updates and check back often.

The following is a summary of how we are planning to run PHYS 211 for Spring Quarter 2020.

• Students will participate in the journal writing / peer review exercise that was already planned for spring quarter.
• In place of doing three 2-day experiments in the lab, students will do two 4-week long projects remotely. These projects are intended to work more like supervised research projects than the stand alone experiments of past quarters. The emphasis will be on collaborative group work on a remote experiment. This is the way many physics and astrophysics experiments operate.  (For example, accelerator physics experiments, using satellite detectors and remote observatories, etc. all involve scientists working in groups to carry out experiments where the actual instrument is operated by someone external to the group.)
  • Students will work in groups of 3 to 4 on a single project. Collaborating as part of a group is part of the learning experience.
  • Each project lasts 4 weeks (including the time to write up the final report).
  • Students within a group will collaborate asynchronously via a group wiki. You will use your wiki for communication between group members, gathering information, sharing knowledge and results, etc.
  • There are two types of projects that you may be assigned to:
    • Performing an experiment on a remotely operated apparatus. Students are given a task such as measuring the mass of the neutron. You will get an overview of the apparatus at your disposal and it's capabilities. The group will have to figure out what data needs to be taken to accomplish the goal. You need to collaborate on developing a proposal for data collection. Instructors and TAs will take data as defined by the proposal and send it to the group. The group analyzes the data and if necessary can request additional measurements.  At the end of the project everyone in the group writes up their own report on the final result.
    • Revisiting a previous experiment to study in some depth a systematic effect that we know is present in the data but for which students do not have time to dig into in the traditional lab format. We have several experiments which are suitable for this type of additional investigation.  
• Instructors (Faculty, Staff & TAs) will monitor each groups progress through their wikis. We will pose questions and make suggestions to help guide you towards a successful measurement.

For each project about 30% of the grade will be assigned based on participation in the collaboration as evidenced by contributions to the group wiki. The remaining 70% will be for individual final reports.

The following is a proposed schedule for the course. This schedule is subject to change.