Electronics and Introduction to Experimental Methods

Introductory laboratory electronics, intended for Physics and Engineering Physics majors but open to all students with science or engineering interests in analog circuits, instrumentation and signal processing. The first part of the course is focused on hands-on exercises that build skills needed for measurements, including input/output impedance concepts, filters, amplifiers, sensors, and fundamentals of noise in physical systems. Lab exercises include DC circuits, RC and diode circuits, applications of operational amplifiers, optoelectronics, synchronous detection, and noise in measurements. The second portion of the class is an instrumentation design project, where essential instrumentation for a practical lab measurement is designed, constructed and applied for an experiment. Example measurements can include temperature measurement in a cryostat, resistivity measurement of a superconducting material, measurement of the 2-D position of an optical beam, development of a high impedance ion probe and clamp for neuroscience, or other projects of personal interest. The course focuses on practical techniques and insight from the lab exercises, with a goal to prepare undergraduates for laboratory research. No formal electronics experience is required beyond exposure to concepts from introductory Physics or Engineering courses (Ohm's law, charge conservation, physics of capacitors and inductors, etc.). Students who have previously taken Physics 105 should not enroll in this course due to significant overlap. Recommended prerequisite: Physics 43 and 44 or Physics 63 and 64, or Engineering 40A or 40M.