Most of Assignment 0 will involve these four experiments. Each can be conducted in an hour or less, though some individuals will take longer.
The experiments are due by the end of the week in which they are assigned. Once results are obtained from all students in the class, additional analysis will be assigned based on the group's collected data. For this reason experiments must be completed within the assigned time frame.
It is understood that the first week's experiments may not all be completed in a timely fashion, due to startup delays (e.g., late registrations, delay in obtaining lab kits, etc.). For this reason there is an alternative ordering for the first two weeks' assignments. If for one of these reasons you are unable to complete the experiments in the assigned time frame, use the Submit Work form to notify the instructor and you will be given an alternate ordering for these assignments.
These four experiments will introduce you to some important experimental procedures, and will also be your first experience with some of the most important systems we will study in this course.
Click on each link in turn, which will take you to a form containing instructions for the experiment and boxes into which to insert your results.
It is suggested that you maintain your results somewhere besides the form (you might, for example, maintain them on a word processed document; for experiments that do not directly require the use of the computer you may also maintain them on paper and transcribe them later into an appropriate electronic format). You can then insert your results into the form after you have finished the experiment. This will prevent loss of data in the event your Internet connection goes down, or in the event of some other problem with the form.
Asst 0 Experiment 1: Using the Timer Program
Asst 0 Experiment 2: The Pearl Pendulum
Asst 0 Experiment 3: Timing a Ball down a Ramp
Asst 0 Experiment 4: Angular Velocity of a Strap