Physics 4211

Syllabus - Spring 2014



Week 1          Lecture #1: DC circuits, resistors, voltage divider, meter errors, DMM, measuring resistance,
20-24 Jan       Thévenin and Norton equivalents, passive linear devices, oscilloscope.
                Read HH Text:p1-20, Appendix A; HH Manual:p1-31 (skim quickly over familiar parts of both text and manual).
                Homework: HH 1.7, 1.8*, 1.9, 1.10, additional 1, 2 (p58); scalise01. Due Friday 31 January 2014 at 5:00pm.
                * if you miss this one, I know you did not read the assigned pages!
                Lab exercises: 1-1 -- 1-6 (not pages).  Due the day before your supervised lab meeting.


Week 2          Lecture #2: AC circuits, capacitors, inductors, impedance, phasors, RC circuits, 
27-31 Jan       filters, diodes, passive non-linear devices.
                Read HH Text:p20-59 (skim quickly over p53-59); HH Manual:p32-81.
                Homework: HH 1.13, 1.14, 1.23, 1.24, additional 3, 7; scalise02. Due Friday 7 February 2014 at 5:00pm.
                Lab exercises: 2-1 -- 2-6; 3-2 -- 3-5, 3-7.  Due the day before your supervised lab meeting.


Week 3          Lecture #3: Transistors, active devices, switch, emitter follower, 
3-7 Feb         common-emitter amplifier, negative feedback.
                Read HH Text:p61-72 (skip 2.06), 76-87; HH Manual:p82-108, 133-119, 122.
                Homework: HH 2.2, 2.5; scalise03.  Due Friday 14 February 2014 at 5:00pm.
                Lab exercises: Scalise L1 - Part 2 only, 4-1 -- 4-5, 4-7; 5-2, 5-5.
                Due the day before your supervised lab meeting.


Week 4          Lecture #4: Operational amplifiers (op-amps) I, amplifiers: inverting, noninverting, differential, summing.
10-14 Feb       Read HH Text:p175-187; HH Manual:p163-183.
                Homework: HH 4.1*, 4.2**, 4.3, derive Vout in figure 4.18 page 185.    Due Monday 24 February 2014 at 11:59pm.
                * for a pnp transistor, VE-VB = 0.6V, the opposite for the npn transistor with which you are more familiar.
                ** Howland Current Source animation.
                Lab exercises: 8-1 -- 8-4, 8-6.  Use the photodiode or the phototransistor to look at a tube fluorescent lamp, 
                a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), and an incandescent lamp; find the frequency of modulation.  Comment.
                Due the day before your supervised lab meeting.


Week 5          Lecture #5: Operational amplifiers (op-amps) II, nightlight feedback: switch debouncer (SR latch) and
17-21 Feb       ring oscillator; Chua's circuit and chaos.
                Read HH Text:p187-261; HH Manual:p184-206.
                Homework: HH 4.6, Explain in crisp, specific language why the circuit in fig 4.43 (p. 221)
                acts as an active clamp. Suppose you wanted the clamp voltage to be 8 V
                (or so) and not 10 V. What would you change?  Due Monday 3 March 2014 at 11:59pm
                Lab exercises: All except 9.4.  Due the day before your supervised lab meeting.


Week 6          Lab: start Franck-Hertz (2 weeks)

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                Spring Break

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Week 7          Midterm examination Friday 21 March.  There will be both written and practical parts.  
17-21 Mar       You may use your notebook and homework, not the text or the manual.


Week 8          Lecture #7: 
24-28 Mar       Re-read Taylor chapter 4.
                Homework: Taylor 4.6, 4.7, tec0, tec1.  Due Monday 31 March 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Franck-Hertz 


Week 9          Lecture #8: 
31 Mar - 4 Apr  Read Taylor chapter 5.
                Homework: Taylor 5.6 (be sure to draw it), tec2, tec3.  Due Monday 7 April 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (3 weeks)


Week 10         Lecture #9: 
                Read Taylor chapters 6 and 7.
                Homework: Taylor 7.4, tec4, tec5.  Due Monday 14 April 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (continued)


Week 11         Lecture #10: 
                Read Taylor chapter 8.  Least Squares fitting, Vertical vs. perpendicular residuals
                Homework: Taylor 8.22, 8.24, tec6.  Due Monday 21 April 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (continued)


Week 12         Lecture #11: 
                Read Taylor chapter 9.
                Homework: Taylor 9.16.  Due Monday 28 April 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Muon counter (3 weeks)
                Large muon data set


Week 13         Lecture #12: 
                Read Taylor chapter 10.
                Homework: Taylor 10.20, 10.21.  Due Monday 5 May 2014 at 11:59pm.
                Lab: Muon counter (3 weeks)


Week 14         Lecture #13: 
                Read Taylor chapter 11.
                Homework: Taylor 11.3, 11.4, 11.19.  Due before the Sun becomes a red giant star.
                Lab: Muon counter (continued)


Week 15         Lecture #14: 
                Read Taylor chapter 12.
                Homework: Taylor 12.3.  Due before the heat death of the Universe.
                Lab: Muon counter (continued).