About Lab

This laboratory course focuses on the core physics experiments for first year undergraduate students covering many fundamental aspects of mechanics, optics, and electricity and magnetism. The objective of the experiments is to provide an opportunity to the students for learning through doing, observing and testing, so that they become familiar with the instruments and gain experience in handling experimental setups and their operating procedures. The laboratory course aims to build a strong understanding of some of these important physics topics. The course contains 10 different experiments, and each experiment has several setups to accommodate around 1350 students every year. There are two sets of experiments which require computer interfacing (Coupled Pendulum and Electromagnetic Induction), that train the students in data acquisition using a computer. Apart from the afore mentioned experiments the lab has several demo experiments too. The experiments at UG Lab demonstrate some fundamental physics phenomena such as mechanical oscillations, resonance, conservation of energy, elastic and inelastic collisions, gyroscopic motion, light spectrum and dispersion, including electromagnetic induction.

General guidelines:
• Lab manual softcopy will be sent to you. Hardcopy can be purchased from ‘Tarun Book Stores’
• One experiment (including data recording, analyses, graph plotting) needs to be completed in one
day, i.e., in 3 hours, and the lab report needs to be submitted at the end of the lab session
• Come to the lab on time – no extra time will be given to complete your experiment
• No entry to the lab after 10:15 am
• You need to bring the lab report book, graph papers, calculator and pencil box
• No printed materials are allowed on the experiment table
• Keep your bag away; bring only lab report book, graph papers, calculator, and pencil box to the
experiment table
• Come prepared for the experiment assigned to you; read the lab manual thoroughly to prepare
• Write the working principle for the experiment and make the tables for recording your observation
in your lab report book before coming to the lab
• Do not use pencil to write your observation (data) on the lab report book, write only by pen
• Get the first set of your data signed by the TA
• If the report remains incomplete, submit the incomplete report
• If you have any questions, ask the assigned TA for the experiment
• You may come in at a specified time to see your mistakes in the lab reports after they are graded
• Don’t miss a lab session – there will be no makeup lab later, unless a lab session is missed due to
medical emergency (authorized by HC and approved by DoAA)
• Strictly no mobile phone in the lab – if you are seen with your mobile phone, 10 marks will be
deducted

Grading policy:
• Continuous evaluation: 60%
Marks obtained from a total of 9 experiments
Each experiment carries 30 marks (Punctuality, preparedness and performance: 10; Lab report: 20)
• Final exam: 40%
Marks will be given for successfully performing the experiment, report preparation, and viva
Lab safety guidelines:
• Avoid accidents to be safe and keep safe
• Come with covered, i.e., closed toe shoes, No entry with slippers
• Do not climb on anything that can slide, i.e., lab stools with wheels; climb on stools without wheels,
if required
• If feeling an electrical shock, switch off the power supply and inform the TA or a lab technician
immediately
• If feeling unwell or dizzy, inform the TA or the instructor, or the lab in-charge immediately

Course structure:
• Regular lab sessions will start from Wednesday, August 7th
• The lab will run five days a week – for five batches; each student will attend the lab once a week
• The batches are made as per sections
• There will be two students in each group performing an experiment
• Timing: 10:00 to 13:00 hrs
• Venue: Physics UG lab (1st floor) at New Core Lab building
• Each of you will perform 9 experiments (among 10 available experiments) in this semester