About the First Year Physics Laboratory
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Introduction to the course.

The basis of science is observation and experimentation on how the world around us works. Therefore, one of the most important sets of skills for a scientist is to learn how to gather data and then interpret that data in terms of mathematical models or theories. This course is intended to give you an introduction to some of the basic skills needed when taking data and subsequently analyzing it. The physical phenomena that you will encounter overlap some of the PHYS 107 and Science One lecture material, but the real aim of the course is to give you the data handling skills needed in any branch of science. The detailed goals of the course can be found by clicking on Learning Goals.

Administrative Matters

The laboratory instructor is Dr. Doug Bonn. In addition, each laboratory section has two teaching assistants who will be there to guide you and do the marking of your lab notebooks. They are also there to challenge and encourage you, so don't be surprised if THEY ask YOU questions, rather than the other way around!! this year's TAs are Natasha Holmes, Jennifer Moroz, Derek Fujimoto, Thomas Prescott, and Stephanie Grothe.

Visit the Main Webpage weekly to get the latest news and use the Course Schedule to keep track of what you are supposed to be doing and when.

You will be evaluated primarily on your work in the laboratory and particularly on the record of your work written in a laboratory notebook. We'll be checking your work throughout each lab period and you will also be asked to hand the notebooks in each week for more formal marking. Click on Marks for more details on the marking.

Ongoing course development

As part of the department's ongoing efforts to improve and develop our courses, we gather data including surveys, classroom observations, and logging of computer work. Some of this data may be published, in aggregated and anonymous form. if you do now want your data inclusded in such studies, please contact phys109@phas.ubc.ca.

Practical Matters at the Start of Term