PHY111: Physics Laboratory I

Aug.-Nov. 2018

Jasjeet Singh Bagla

IISER Mohali
 The course

● Measurements: setting up an experiment, planning and making

measurements, measurement errors.
● Error analysis: error propagation, estimation of error in the
quantity of interest.
● Most experiments are related to concepts covered in the course
on mechanics, PHY101. You need not worry about sequence
as progress is often made by experiments before a theoretical
model is developed.
 Measurements

● Setting up the experiment. Removal of any external

disturbance/influence.
● Analysing the setup and identifying potential sources of errors.
● Identifying the most significant sources of errors.
● Minimising errors by making suitable modifications or taking
precautions.
● Making careful measurements.
● Recording measurements neatly in a table.
● Plan the table such that later calculations can be represented in
the same table.
● Cross-verifying measurements with help from your lab partner.
 Graphical Representation

● Find out the range of values to be represented.

● Set axis ranges to maximise the use of graph paper for data
points.
● Points should not be in one corner or only one half of the graph.

● When making histograms, experiment with the interval size (bin

size) to ensure that the representation conveys essence of the
data: too many bins lead to large fluctuations and too few bins
do not allow you to see any trend.
 Measurement Error

● The goal of the first experiment is to develop an understanding

of distribution of errors of measurement.
● It is important to note that:
Measurement error ≠ Mistake
● Every measuring instrument has a limit of sensitivity: a least
count. For example a typical scale has a least count of 1mm
and we cannot expect to measure to better than this: If an
object is 4.352 cm long, we can either measure 4.3 or 4.4.
● If the least count of a clock is 0.01 s, we cannot measure any
interval between 1.01 and 1.02 with such a clock.
● Thus each measurement has within it, an error of
measurement. This error cannot be avoided by any means.
 Measurement Errors

● There are multiple sources of errors in measurements.

– Limitation of measuring equipment.
– Fault in the measuring equipment.
– Sloppiness in the measurement process.
● These can combine in different ways to produce two effects.
– A distribution of measured values.
– An offset of the measurements from true value.

● In real life experiments, we don't know the “true” value as it has

never been measured before. Therefore we must develop a
good understanding of all possible sources of errors.
 Describing the distribution of measured values

● The first quantity of interest in the measured values is the

mean, or average.
μ ≡ < x > = N-1 ∑ xi
● If the average is very close to the true value, then we can say
that the experiment is giving accurate results.
● But we need to quantify “very close”.
● For this, we compute the variance σ2, where σ is the standard
deviation.
σ2 = (N-1)-1 Σ (xi – μ)2
 Describing the distribution of measured values

● If the average and the true value differ by less than a few times the
standard deviation then the experiment is said to be accurate.
● If the standard deviation is small then the experiment is said to be
precise.
● An experiment can be precise and accurate, precise and inaccurate,
imprecise and accurate or, imprecise and inaccurate.
● Ideally, we would like our experiments to be precise and accurate.
 Statistical Errors

● If the errors arise mainly from limitations of the equipment then

the distribution of measured values is comparable with the least
count.
● The average of measured values in such cases is close to the
true value.
● Thus, if statistical errors dominate the overall error budget, the
experiment is accurate.
● If the errors are large then the experiment is imprecise,
whereas if the errors are small then the experiment is precise.
 Systematic Errors

● If some errors arise from biases in measurements, e.g., if your

scale has been stretched, then errors tend to push us to one
side of the true value.
● Incorrect callibration and mistakes also lead to such errors.
● The impact of such errors is to shift us away from the true
value.
● If systematic errors dominate then the experiment is inaccurate.
● It may still be precise if the magnitude of errors is small.
 Error propagation
● Any experiment involves multiple measurements, which are
then combined to estimate some number(s).
● The length of a simple pendulum and the time period of
oscillations can be combined to compute 'g', acceleration due to
gravity.
● Errors in measurement of length and time period need to be
combined in some way to estimate the resulting error in
estimated value of 'g'. This is called error propagation.
● We can approach the problem of estimation of 'g' itself in
multiple ways, e.g., by using one set, or average of 'l' and 'T', or,
by using multiple measurements and fitting the expected
relation.
● Error propagation works differently in these approaches.
 Instructors

● Jasjeet Singh Bagla (jasjeet@iisermohali.ac.in) (2F5, AB-1)

● Smriti Mahajan (smritimahajan@iisermohali.ac.in) (2F4, AB-1)
● Vishal Bhardwaj (vishal@iisermohali.ac.in) (2F4, AB-1)

● JSB will be available in each session.

● SM will be available on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
● VB will be available on Fridays.

● Instructors are expected to be present and available in the lab

during 2:00pm-4:55pm on days when the session is on.
 Teaching Assistants and Lab Staff

● Three TAs will be present in each lab session.

● You should first check with them in case you have questions or
doubts.
● If you do not get a satisfactory response then you should take it
up with instructors.

● Questions related to equipment not working as expected should

be directed to Mr. Rajender Kumar, who is the primary lab
support staff for this course.
 Grading

● Teaching Assistants will verify your experimental setup and one

or more observations/measurements.
● You are expected to complete 5 experiments. Your report will
be graded and the viva for each report will earn you a grade for
each experiment.
● Each experiment grade is from a maximum of 15 marks.
● There will be a lab exam at the end of the semester. This will
be for 20 marks. You will be expected to perform a randomly
chosen experiment and write a brief report in less than 45
minutes.
● There will be a written exam at the end of the semester.
Duration of this exam is 60 minutes and this will be for 15
marks.