PHYSICS P108
(Intermediate Acoustic Laboratory)

Indiana University Department of Physics
Fall Semester, 2009
http://oncourse.iu.edu/

• Goals of the course: The P108 Intermediate Acoustic Laboratory investigates fundamental phenomena of the physics of sound. The approximate number of labs devoted to different subjects is:
  • Introduction (1 lab)
  • Oscillating systems and measurement (1 labs)
  • Wave phenomena and resonance (2 labs)
  • Sound interference and propagation (2 labs)
  • Synthesis and analysis of waves (2 labs)
  • Analog electronics ( 3 labs)
  • Digital electronics (3 labs)

  We also learn about related electronic devices such as:

  • Transducers
  • Amplifiers
  • Oscillators
  • Filters, and digital circuits

  To study sound and the various electronic circuits, we introduce the use of instruments such as oscilloscopes, function generators, frequency counters, Fourier synthesizers, band-pass filters, and computer based digital signal analyzers. Some special topics will include study of room acoustics, transducers, and digital sound.

• Class Administration: All course administrative matters are handled through the Physics Academic Services Office in Swain West 132. Their phone is 855-3973 and their office hours are 9-11:55 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. daily.

• Text: P108 Lab Manual will be available at IU Bookstore. It is also posted online: Lab Manual
  A few introductory textbooks such as
  • "Introduction to Sound" by Charles E. Speaks (3rd edition).
  • "The science of sound" by Thomas D. Rossing
  will be available in SW166.
• Laboratory: Class will meet in Swain West 166 (unless otherwise noted) at: 1:25-5:30 pm on Mondays (Sect. 6178),

  Instructor: S.Y. Lee, email: shylee at indiana.edu
  Associate Instructor:

• Syllabus: Syllabus 2009

• Class Format: Hands-on experiments with short write-ups done in the lab. Pre-labs and post-labs assignments as necessary.

  The labs meet for up to 4 hours (2.5-3 hours on the average), and the goal is to set-up experiments, carry them out, and produce a lab report by the end of the period. We will first briefly review the important points about that week's lab. All the equipment will be provided, but you will set up the experiment yourself. You should carefully collect notes on what you do (including making diagrams showing the set-up, data tables and graphs) as you do each part. The lab report will consist of your notes in addition to answering all the questions that you find in the manual and a brief conclusion about what you learned.

• Exams: There are no exams in this class.

• Schedule Changes: The last day to drop the course with an automatic grade of W is October 28, 2009.

• Miscellaneous: A calculator with trig functions is required in the labs.

• Final Grade: The course grade will be based on the lab writeups, prelabs and lab reports. Each lab (including prelabs and lab report) will be worth a maximum of 10 points. The lab meets on Mondays. Because there are labs going on every day of the week, it is impossible to make up labs. For the final grade, your lowest score from your lab grades will be excluded (or one missed lab excused).