Physics 5BL

Physics 5BL is the lab course complementing Physics 5B in the introductory Physics 5 sequence, which is the physics major-oriented "honors" introductory physics sequence. It is a two unit course.

Overview

An introductory laboratory class which is generally paired with Physics 5B. The class explores the basics of various aspects of experimental physics through hands-on labs about various topics such as mechanics, sound, and circuits. Students are introduced to concepts such as error propagation and develop the skills associated with writing lab reports.

Prerequisites

Physics 5A or Physics 7A, Physics 5B or Physics 7B may be taken concurrently.

Student Comments

“This course is meant to be taken together with Physics 5B. This is a required course for Physics and Astrophysics major if you are not taking Physics 7B. The first one-third of this course is about printing out about 15 pages of paper your instructor provided and filling them out as you do the lab. The other two-third of the course is split roughly evenly between mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism labs. You will write the lab reports on a lab notebook. One person from each lab group of 3 will be randomly selected to get graded on their work. That person’s grade will become every group member’s grade. Beware of the mid-semester quiz about error propagation and some handling of uncertainties, it is not easy.” – Andrew Hsu, undergraduate physics/astrophysics