Physics 360
Instrumentation for Scientists

Fall 2005

Lecturer Paul W. Zitzewitz
2209 SBCW (313) 593-5277  e-mail pwz@umich.edu
Office hours: T 1:30-2:30, Th 10:30-11:30 and by appointment.
Prerequisites Physics 126 or 151
Textbook James Diefenderfer and Brian Holton, Principles of Electronic Instrumentation, 3rd edition (Saunders College Publishing, 1994)
Electronic tools The Web will be used as a means of communication and of providing programs that will help you visualize the physics and mathematics you will encounter in the early portions of the course.  You should be able to use a modern Web browser and obtain information from the Web.
Mathcad and Mathematica are tools that can be as useful to you as a calculator. You should become familiar with the use of one or both. A free, but partially disabled Mathcad version is available on the website.
Learning objectives At the end of this course you will be familiar with the fundamentals of analog and digital electronics as applied to scientific instrumentation. You will have an appreciation of the work of an electronics technician and of an electrical engineer and be able to converse with them professionally. You will be able to build prototype circuits and test their operation. You will be familiar with a few sensors and with methods of interfacing computers to experiments.
Laboratory During the four-hour laboratory period you will construct circuits, make measurements, and compare expected with actual performance of the circuits. You will learn how to use common measuring instruments. You will use computers to take data and control a simple experiment. Lab report writing will use the LabWrite system (http://labwrite.ncsu.edu)
Laboratory Project During the last two weeks you will work with a partner on a laboratory-based project of your choosing. Both a written report and a brief poster presentation (made on the last day of class) will be required.
Homework Problems will be assigned at approximately one-week intervals. Problems will be due at the start of class. Late problem sets will not be accepted. Students may consult with the instructor or each other, but each student must write out the answers individually. Some assignments will include web-based animation and simulation problems. There will be at least two longer-term project assignments in which some laboratory work will be required.
Exams There will be two term exams and one final. All exams will be take-home. There will be no make-up exams.
Grades Assignments will carry the following weighting:
Homework100 points
Two term exams200
Laboratory reports200
Laboratory project400
Final Exam100
Total1000 points
Grades will be assigned using the following scale:
A850 – 1000
B700 – 849
C550 – 699
D400 – 549
E  < 400
Final drop day The last day to drop this course is Monday, November 7.
Students with disabilities The University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Those students should register with the Disability Resource Services Office located in Counseling and Support Services. They must register with the DRS by October 1 to be eligible to receive services during Fall term.

 

Tentative Schedule

Date Topic Chapter (Pages)
September 8 DC circuits 1 (1 – 18)
6 (101 – 117)
Sept. 13-15 AC circuits 2 (23 – 36)
3 (43 – 55)
Sept. 20-22 Diodes and power supplies 5 (75 – 97)
Sept. 27-29 Switches and logic gates 8 (155 – 166)
11 (235 – 257)
Oct. 4-6 Decoders and flip-flops 12 (261 – 270)
Oct. 11-13 Counters and displays 12 (271 – 294)
Oct. 18-20 Oscillators 10 (215 – 226)
Oct. 25-27 Amplifiers: transistor and operational 8 (160 – 166)
8 (177 – 179)
9 (183 – 190)
Nov. 1-3 Using op-amps 9 (191 – 210)
Nov. 8-10 Digital -- Analog conversion 14 (331 – 353)
Nov. 15-17, 22 Computer interfacing  
Nov. 29-Dec. 1 LabVIEW basics  
Dec. 6-8 LabVIEW applications  
Dec. 13 Project reports