PHYS 260: Instrumentation and Computing for Physicists

Course Description

An introduction to electronic and computational tools used in experimental physics. Techniques of physical measurement using sensors will be explored, including the use of high-level electronic instrumentation such as the oscilloscope and digital multimeter, as well as component-level analog and digital electronics for signal conditioning and computer data acquisition. Computational skills will be developed to interface computers with experiments, to program microcontrollers, and to visually and analyze data. Students will complete individual projects. Three hours lecture, four hours laboratory. Every third semester. (F, W).