The Art of Experimental Physics

Book Preface

Before you begin to study the text of this book and to do its experiments, you should read the description of its special features provided here. Doing so will acquaint you with the book’s orga­nization and content and will help you to get the most out of your assignments.

BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION: SETTING THE STAGE

In the first part of the book, the “Introduction,” you will find the following features:

• Two sections entitled “Physics-A Human En­deavor” and “Responsibility of the Experimen­talist” and twenty-five Nobel prize citations quoted in the text discussion, some of which are accompanied by a description of the back­ground and milieu in which a particular discov­ery was made. These features will give you valuable insight into the importance of the hu­man element in physics as well as the course of its historical development.
• A section on “Objectives of the Physics Labora­tory,” which describes for your easy reference the basic aims of the laboratory.
• A section entitled “Journals of Physics” as well as more than fifty references to twelve different journals in the text. These features provide an in-depth introduction to the journals of physics and an understanding of how results are pub­lished.

• A section entitled “Spectroscopy: An Important Class of Experiments,” which presents a general discussion designed to familiarize you with these types of experiments.
• Sections on the “Laboratory Notebook,” “Er­ror Analysis,” “Significant Figures,” “Graphi­cal Analysis,” and “Curve Fitting,” which describe in practical terms the skills you must master to maintain a notebook and to analyze data.

The Role of the Computer in the laboratory: Learning How to Use It
The computer is a unique laboratory device in that it may be used to control the experiment, collect and analyze the data, and present the experimentalist with a labeled graph of the finished results complete with error analysis. Therefore, it is essential that you learn how to use the computer in the laboratory. With this goal in mind, the second part of this book, “Experi­ments” and two of its appendices includes these valuable features:

• Experiment 6, “Introduction to Computer­Assisted Experimentation.” In this experiment the emphasis is on interfacing experimental ap­paratus to the computer, that is, on the hard­ware. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., the publisher of this text, has provided your instructor with the software for Experiment 6.

• Several experiments with optional sections on computer-assisted experimentation. (Experiment 6 is a prerequisite for these sections.)
• Appendix F on writing computer programs, which is included to assist you in writing pro­grams in BASIC and in assembly language. (It assumes that the reader has had prior experience in writing programs.)
• Appendix G, “A Software Tutorial for the IBM PC.” You will find this appendix useful if you have had experience with microcomputers but not with the IBM PC.

The Experiments
An important goal of an experimental physics course is to provide students with the opportuni­ties to use a variety of instruments in carrying out many different measurements. To further this goal, the twenty-two experiments of this book include the following features:

• List of Apparatus. The list of apparatus in­cluded at the beginning of each experiment will alert you to the equipment you will need.
• Statement of Objectives. This feature will enable you to focus your attention on the major goals of each experiment.
• Key Concepts. By studying the list of key con­cepts provided at the beginning of each expe1ment, you will become familiar with the terms you should use in describing the experiment in your notebook.

• References. The list of references included with each experiment will enable you to broaden your knowledge of useful books on physics and, especially, journals of physics.
• Introduction. The theoretical background you will need to understand each experiment is pre­sented in a carefully written introduction.
• Experiment. The text of each experiment in­cludes suggested measurements and is structured to guide you as you carry out your experimental work.
• Computer-Assisted Experimentation. These op­tional sections are included in several experi­ments to help you increase your knowledge of computer usage in the laboratory.
• Exercises. Exercises are included to provide direc­tion and to enhance your understanding of the ex­periment.

We hope that this summary of the features of this book will prove useful and will contribute to a challenging and successful study of its contents.

DARYL W. PRESTON ERIC R. DIETZ