This is the archive page for the Physics Introductory Labs portion of PHY 121 for Fall 2021.

The scope of the introductory labs is to give an understanding of basic experimental methods applied in physical sciences. The experiments performed during the lab sessions are closely related to the topics covered in the lecture.

Instructors	Director of UG Laboratory	Teaching Assistants
R. Lefferts	B. Nielsen	To be announced    e-mail of TBA

You will perform each week an experiment as indicated in the Manuals and Course Schedule section. You have 1 hr 50 min time to perform each experiment, by yourself or with a lab partner. Each experiment will come with a manual that you can access below.

For each lab, your perfomance will be evaluated by your teaching assistant based on the following components (left-click the blue bar to expand):

Grading for each experiment (left click to expand)

The pre-lab quiz will always be due on the same day that the lab is performed. All other components will generally be due by the start of the subsequent lab class, with possible exceptions to be specified by your TA.

Reports are to be done individually (including data collection - you and your partner should independently record all data). Although collaboration is allowed, your work should be your own. Work that is duplicated between reports will be punished severely.

Your final score will be an average from your single lab grades scaled by a factor that will be determined at the end of the semester. This final lab score will contribute 25% to your grade in PHY 121. You will receive a single final grade for PHY 121.

The first lab sessions will take place in the week starting from Monday, August 30

August 22 - August 25: No lab classes.

• Lab 0 (August 29 - September 1): Introduction to Labs
  Monday, August 30 sections do Lab 0 and Lab 1 (L01,L02,L03,L04)

September 05: Labor Day. No classes.

• Lab 1 (September 06 - September 08): Geometry (Data Sheet)
• Lab 2 (September 12 - September 15): Acceleration (Data Sheet)

: September 19 - September 23: Make-up Lab Week for Labs 1 - 2. No lab classes.

• Lab 3 (September 26 - September 29): Projectile Motion (Data Sheet)
• Lab 4 (October 03 - October 06): Atwood Machine (Data Sheet)

October 10- 11: Fall Break. No classes.
October 12 -14: Make-up Lab Days for Labs 3 - 4. No lab classes.

• Lab 5 (October 17 - October 20): Centripetal Force (Data Sheet)
• Lab 6 (October 24 - October 27): Conservation of Energy (Data Sheet)

October 31 - November 03: Make-up Lab Week for Labs 3 - 7. No lab classes.

• Lab 7 (October 31 - November 04): To Be Announced, In class attendance optional Virtual Lab: Fluids (Data Sheet) Buoyancy (Data Sheet)
• Lab 8 (November 08 - November 11): Conservation of Momentum (Data Sheet)
• Lab 9 (November 15 - November 18): Simple Harmonic Motion (Data Sheet)

November 21 - November 22: Make-up Lab Days for Labs 8 - 9. No lab classes.

November 23 - November 25: Thanksgiving Break. No classes.

• Lab 10 (November 28 - December 01): Standing Waves (Data Sheet)

December 5: Make-up Lab Day for Labs 8 - 10. No lab classes.

Link to All Data Sheets

Here are some documents you will find helpful. You can find more information via links on the Reference Documents Page.

Lab Report Expectations

Guide to Uncertainty and Error Analysis (Quick Reference)

Google Sheets Tutorial

Guide to Making and Using Plots

Here is a link to the plotting tool we will use to make our graphs in this class:

PHY121/122 Plotting Tool

Section	When	Where	Teaching Assistant
PHY121 L01	Mo 11:45am - 1:35pm	A-119
PHY121 L02	Mo 11:45am - 1:35pm	A-121
PHY121 L03	Mo 2:40pm - 4:30pm	A-119
PHY121 L04	Mo 2:40pm - 4:30pm	A-121
PHY121 L07	Tu 11:30- 1:20pm	A-119
PHY121 L08	Tu 11:30- 1:20pm	A-121
PHY121 L11	We 2:40pm - 4:30pm	A-119
PHY121 L12	We 2:40pm - 4:30pm	A-121

You are responsible for keeping track of deadlines for your lab reports. A list of deadlines (and return dates for work) is available here: Due Dates

Be alert to announcements about changes to this schedule from your TA or via Blackboard.

Any lab report submitted after the deadline will not be considered and receive zero points for the lab experiment.

Exceptions for partial credit may be granted by a TA or the course instructor, with suitably documented reasons.

If you need to be absent for a lab experiment you will have to provide written documentation for a significant reason to be absent, e.g., a medical note from your doctor or a written document about jury duty.

With such documentation, you will have the opportunity to make up the lab experiment in the dedicated make-up week. Under such circumstances, please submit a make-up request via the PHY121 Make-Up Request Form.

If you are absent for a non-excusable reason your lab grade for that particular experiment will be Zero (0) points! If you are absent for a non-excusable reason for more than one lab you will fail PHY 121.

There are three ways to ask questions or report problems:

• To contact your TA, use the e-mail addresses provided at the top of this page. This is the best option for lab-specific questions, such as checking requirements.
• To contact all TAs, use PHY121_lab@stonybrook.edu. This is the best option for general physics questions. If you cannot get in touch with your own TA and have a question on how to do a calculation (or why numbers look weird), this is also a reasonable place to contact.
• For administrative concerns, contact the course instructor, Richard Lefferts, at phy_introlabs@stonybrook.edu or in Office Hours, 1-3pm Thursday, in the Help Room