(2-credit course)
This course involves a series of experiments demonstrating fundamental physical paradigms of 20th century physics. Students will learn the foundational experimental techniques that are used in all areas of research and engineering. This course will introduce students to the professional skills of scientific report writing, including how to convey information to a technical audience, how to use LaTeX for professional document preparation, and the revision process. Students will also learn how to maintain a professional notebook, handle and propagate uncertainty, and perform non-linear curve fits. Typical experiments will involve the quantum nature of light, wave particle duality, nuclear physics, materials science, and optics. The skills learned in this course are the basis for all experimental physics in the curriculum.