FIRST YEAR PHYSICS LAB

(PH 117)

Orientation Lecture

S. Dhar
Dept. of Physics, IITB
 Contact details:

Subhabrata Dhar
Course Instructor In-charge (CII)
Phone No. 7578
Email: dhar@phy.iitb.ac.in

Anand Raut anandr@phy.iitb.ac.in

Vijay Wagh vvwagh@phy.iitb.ac.in
Ph. 4599
 About the lab:

Location : First floor of the pre-engineered

building in hill side (beside Vihar house) The entry is by the
staircase opposite to the Vihar house wall perpendicular to the main road
to the hill side (from the market gate). Chemistry lab is just below us.

• Total No. of experiments to be performed: 8

• Lab runs in 6 sessions per week
• Lab session starts on Monday, 9th Jan, 2017
• First class is devoted for orientation (familiarization of experiments)

You have to bring the manuals when you come for the first class. Manuals will
be uploaded in moodle.

• Experiments by cyclic order

• No lab during the midsem exam week.

Your first experiment will be expt. No. 7, if your batch

number is written as P8/7. (P8 is your batch)
 Rules and regulations
• Read the file “error_analysis.pdf” [uploaded in moodle server] carefully
• Instruction manuals are also uploaded in moodle server
• Read the instructions manuals carefully.
• Late coming is not allowed.
• You have to bring paper file cover (once), physics journal sheets,
Graph sheets, calculator, pencil, scale, eraser
• No repeat turn (except in emergency/medical cases)
• No rough paper/rough data record
• Recording of data with pen only
• Copy of the instruction manual is not allowed during the lab hours
• Journals to be submitted on the same day of the experiment.
• Journals will be returned after correction on the next lab turn.
• Look at the notice board in front of the lab for all announcements
• MOBILE PHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE LAB. BUT YOU
CAN KEEP THEM SWITCHED OFF INSIDE THE BAGS.
 What is expected from you

• Fully prepared about the details of experiment

• Honesty and sincerity both in data collection and
analysis
• Careful handling of apparatus
• Overall discipline and no malpractice
 Objectives

• To demonstrate theoretical concepts

• Training on planning an experiment with
precision/accuracy.
• Meticulous data collection
• Estimation of the precision of the results.
• Drawing correct conclusions.
 Evaluation scheme

• 60 marks for insem

(avergae of 8 experiments)

• 40 for endsem
 List of Experiments
1 Diffraction of light
2 Grating spectrometer
3. Fresnel’s Bi-prism
4. e/m
5. Helmholtz Coil
6. LCR Circuit
7. Thermal conductivity by Lees Disc method
8. Centrifugal Force
 About the journal

• Preparation - Aim, apparatus, working formulae, diagrams

• Data - In proper tabular form (only with pen)

• Graph

• Calculations

• Fractional and absolute error estimation

• Final result with the absolute error

 About drawing graphs

• Proper scale so that the area of the sheet is effectively used.

• Label the axes
• Write down the scales
• Show the qualitative best fit line.
• For calculating slope of straight lines, use a triangle as big as
possible. Also show the triangle.
 Resistance vs. Temperature graph

30 X axis scale : 1cm =------- units

Y axis scale : 1cm =------- units B

25 slope =BC/AC=......
Resistance (unit)

20

15

A
C
10

1 2 3 4 5 6
Temperature (unit)
 Significant digits and accuracy

1 2 3 4 5 6

The least count of the scale = 1cm

The length of the rod is 4-5 cm

THE LENGTH OF THE ROD IS 4.5±0.5 cm

If the L.C. is 0.1 cm, then the probable answer can be 4.6-4.7 cm
Or 4.65 ± 0.05 cm.

In this case, an answer like 4.648278 cm is just ABSURD.

Number of significant digits in 15.3754 is SIX
Number of significant digits in 15 is TWO
Number of significant digits in 15.0 is THREE
Number of significant digits in 12 x 1017 is TWO
 Types of errors

• Blunders

• Systematic errors
– Ignorance of correction factor between theory and expt.
– Faulty apparatus
– Experimenter’s bias

• Random errors
• Due to the random fluctuations in the system being measured.

In this course, you are expected to find out only the random errors. It is sufficient to
be aware of the systematic errors.
 Estimation of random error (Δx) in the
measurement of x
• Random error is measured by repeated measurements.
That is, for a large number of repeated measurements of x,

N
1
Average value, x
N
x
i 1
i

1/ 2
1 2
N
Δx  Standard deviation,  
 N   xi  x  
 i 1 
For just two measurements, x=
x1  x2
2
If the random error is less than L.C., x = L.C./2
 Combination of random errors
f Δf
x±y (Δf) = (Δx)+ (Δy)
c.x Δf=c Δx
x/y or x.y  f   x   y 
       
 f   x   y 
 f   x   y   pz 
c.xmynzp     m    n    
 f   x   y   z 
f = ln x Δf= Δx/x

f = exp (x) (Δf/f)= Δx

• (Δf/f), (Δx/x), (Δy/y) etc. are called the
fractional errors

• Absolute error in f or (Δf) = (Δf/f). faverage

• Final result = (f ± Δf) units

 Estimation of random error from the graph
Resistance vs. Temperature graph

45
X axis scale : 1cm =------- units
40 Y axis scale : 1cm =------- units

35

30
Resistance (unit)

25

20 S1
S= (S1~S2)/2
15
S2
10 S

0 2 4 6 8 10

Temperature (unit)

Final answer is (S ± S) units

Assume that wave length (λ ) of light is being
measured using an experiment.

Let λaverage = 5885 Å (May be from the best fit line)

Let (Δλ/λ) given by the calculator be 0.00357845.

(i.e. calculated using the slopes of the limiting lines)

Δλ = λaverage . (Δλ/λ) = 5885 x 0.00357845 = 23.54783478

The final result is (5890 ± 20) Å

 Termination of decimal places in the final result

Consider an experiment to determine ‘g’

Calculation yields a value of g= 9.832648 m/s2.

g Result
0.00041 (9.8326 ± 0.0004)

0.00734 (9.833 ± 0.007)

0.0243 (9.83 ± 0.02)

0.2813 (9.8 ± 0.3)

1.1325 (10 ± 1) OR (9.8 ± 1.1)

Finally, 9.8, 9.80 and 9.800 are all different!

In the manual, for each experiment, specific suggestions are
given regarding

* Quantities to be measured and evaluated

* Quantities to be tabulated
* Guide lines for the error estimation
References:

B. L. Worsnop and H. T. Flint (Advanced

practical Physics for students)

G. L. Squires (Practical Physics)