Physics Lab

Orientation
Open Lab Environment
• Valencia’s West Campus Physics Lab utilizes an open concept
approach.
• Students independently schedule their experiments during the lab’s
open hours.
• There is a schedule of experiments for each physics course offered,
and different experiments are available at different times throughout
the semester according to that schedule.
• This provides students ultimate flexibility, allowing them to schedule
their own lab times.
• Designed to facilitate even more interactions between students, lab
personnel and Instructors.
Explore our website
• http://science.valenciacollege.edu/

• Lab info/ Schedules- Find general information about the lab and
experiment schedules for your class

• Experiments- Experiments are categorized by type.

• Reservations- Reserve your lab time for open experiments.

Lab Info/Schedules• Lab staff: individual email is
• Contact information: connected to the link provided

• Call to let us know if you will be

late.
• More than 15 minutes late
without notice will allow us to
give away the reservation.
 Schedules
• Note the start and end date of
your experiment.
• Due dates are only listed on
certain professors’ lab schedules,
therefor it is best to check with
your professor for correct due
dates
• Only one makeup is allowed with
an acceptable reason.
• Must ask for the makeup the
week before the last week the
physics lab is open.
 • For each experiment there is a unique lab
Experiments write-up that explains the theoretical basis of
the experiment and provides a list of
procedures to follow and a data sheet,
accessible thru this website. Additionally,
pictures and videos are available for some
experiments, providing even more in-depth
explanations of the procedures.

• BEFORE you will be permitted to start you

must read through the ENTIRE lab, watch ALL
the videos and look at ALL of the pictures. NO
EXCEPTIONS!!! You will be expected to
answer questions about the lab.

• YOU WILL NEED A CALCULATOR. We do not

lend calculators to students and your phone
calculator is not always sufficient. You will
need to learn how to operate your calculator
and will be expected to know order of
operations.
This is what you need to print out
• All information on the front page
must be filled out.
• Student Name
• Lab Partner (if any)
• Physics Course
• Physics Professor
• Experiment Start Date
• Lab Assistant

• Papers cannot leave the lab until

a stamp is received.
You Need To Know
• All graphs need to be done in Excel
• Save and email graphs to yourself. You will need to print
out all the graphs for your professor.
• Vector diagrams need to be done on GRAPHING paper.
• Correct labels, units and significant figures are required.
• All short answer questions on your lab will need to be
answered in the lab before you can receive a stamp.
Reservations
ONLY 1 LAB PER DAY, NO EXCEPTIONS !!!
Reservations continued
• Select your class.
• Select your experiment.

• First time scheduling must be more than the minimum time allowed,
but cannot exceed maximum time allowed.
• After scheduling for the first time, you can schedule a lab for as little
as a half hour. (We do not recommend this)
• You can only make one reservation for the same lab at a time, but can
make multiple reservations if doing multiple labs.
Reservations continued
• Select the week. Only shows two weeks at a time, the current week
and the following week.
• The schedule for the next week opens on Saturday at midnight.
• More than one lab may be open at one time.
Reservations continued
• Open times will be in light
grey.
• Closed times are in red.
• Dark grey represents the
hours the lab is closed.
• Blocks will turn blue when
they are highlighted when
making reservations.
• Blocks are at half hour
intervals.
• Select your name.
• Select your partners/ or select none.
• Enter the password you will make during orientation.
• Refresh the page to make sure reservation is made.
• There is a max of 3 people per group.
• Only one person is required to make the reservation for the lab
group.
• You do not have to keep the same lab partner through out the
semester.
Signing into the Lab
• Completely fill in your name,
time in, experiment, class and
reservation.
• Sign in must be done upon the
arrival of the first group
member.
• Labs must be printed at home or
in the library.
• Use of lab printer is NOT
permitted.
You Need To Know
• The back room permits small snacks and drinks. You can leave these items in this
room.
• Phone use should be limited. Please be courteous of other lab groups and the lab
assistants trying to help you.
• Lab equipment must be cleaned up after use. DO NOT leave your station a mess
• Return material that was given to you. (Rulers, protractors, meters, etc.) All
members of the group must be present before you will be able to start the lab.
NO EXCEPTIONS. If the lab is started without a member, this person will not be
able to join later on.
• We do not allow a missing person to copy others’ work. This person will have to
reschedule his/her lab for another time.
• In order to receive your lab paper if you are coming back to complete a lab/finish
calculations, you must sign the log in book.
 Stand by Sheet
• If you do not have a reservation, or could not
make a reservation for the time/day you
prefer, you may come into the lab and
‘standby’ for the experiment to become
available, or to possibly join a group that is at
the same point in the lab as you are and has
less than three people.

• You must sign the standby sheet and be in

the lab in order for us to find you if an
experiment were to become available for that
day\time. We do not seek you outside of the
lab to start an experiment.

• A reservation can be given to someone on

the standby sheet if the group is more than
fifteen minutes late. This is why it is
important to be on time and to sign the
group in upon the arrival of the first member.
Tools for Success: PREPARE!
• Read, watch the videos and look at the pictures BEFORE you come to do the
lab.
• Bring a Calculator!
• Use a pencil!
• Be on time!
• Schedule early!
• Do not exit through the emergency exits!
• Do not bring food or drinks into the lab!
• Limit use of your cell phone!
• Look on the board for important information!
And Remember!

ONLY 1 LAB PER DAY, NO

EXCEPTIONS !!!