BSc Physics with Astrophysics

Third Year Laboratory (Core)

Safety Awareness
Identify hazards associated with apparatus developed by the student him/herself, and undertake a risk assessment.

Investigative/Problem Solving Skills
(i) Conduct and Initiative (planning, preparation, initiative)
    Develop and extend prescribed experimental procedures.
(ii) Technical Expertise
    Be able to handle sophisticated apparatus with confidence.
(iii) Recording and managing data
    Keep professional quality records of laboratory work. Use computer aided data acquisition systems as appropriate.

Analytical skills
(i) Techniques
    Critically evaluate the results of an experiment, assess the significance of the experimental results compared to expected outcomes and draw valid conclusions.
ii) Evaluation of errors
    Describe the sources of random and systematic error, calculate their effects on the results and evaluate ways of reducing the dominant error.

Physics knowledge
Link the experimental findings to underlying physics in lecture courses, textbooks and scientific journals.

Communication skills
(i) Oral presentation
     Describe an experiment in a formal presentation using visual aids, defending procedures, results and interpretation.
(ii) Written presentation
     Describe experiments in the style of a scientific paper and/ or in the form of a conference report.

Feedback will be offered:

Verbally by demonstrators in lab sessions,

Verbally and in writing by demonstrators when they mark each experiment during the interview

In writing for all lab reports