Computer Based Physics Laboratory

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Arkansas College has created a computing laboratory consisting of a network of nine microcomputers located in the experimental physics laboratory, and the created a new experimental physics curriculum for first and second-year science majors. The goal of these laboratories is to teach experimental physics and computer use in science concurrently by use of a thematic curriculum with special emphasis on the study of oscillatory and resonant systems using computer interfaced sensors. Most important physical laws apply to oscillators, so the narrowing of breadth in the course is minimal, while the depth has been greatly increased. The laboratory exercises used have been chosen in this way to focus the students attention on confirmation, analysis, and interpretation of results; therefore, we have eliminated many standard laboratory exercises which served only to demonstrate the correctness of material covered in the lecture.The motivation for this approach lies in the faculty's belief that teaching the experimental method in science is a most important task, and therefore the laboratory should not merely be used to support the teaching of theory. Students must be able to observe and experience physical phenomena in a way that develops and enhances both their senses of observation and their reasoning ability. The students use the computers to collect and analyze data, perform error analysis on the data, prepare graphical presentations of their results, compare their results with software simulations of the experiments and with calculations based on theory, and prepare their laboratory reports.