Re: [Phys-l] Understanding the physics lab

[Bernard Cleyet <bernardcleyet@redshift.com>]

The intro. labs. described earlier contrast markedly w/ the intermediate and adv'd labs. to which I'm accustomed.  The apps. are kept set up for weeks and the sessions can be many hours.  It's unfortunate that this is impossible in the society where there are hundreds in the class and the same space is used by more than one class.   The only detail I can add to JD's idealization, and easily done, is to plot the data (usually appropriate) as taken.  The reasons are obvious.

bc



On 2010, Jan 03, , at 13:21, John Denker wrote:

> Something else to think about:  This thread implicitly (and
> now explicitly :-) calls into question the wisdom of having
> 3-hour lab sessions.  It is better in many ways, including
> being more like the real world, if students can observe for
> an hour or so and then go off and think about it -- leaving 
> the apparatus set up -- and then come back and observe some
> more.  Obviously there is a cost to this in terms of space
> and equipment and security ... but there is also major value,
> in terms of showing them how things should be done.