Physics 434, Fall 2010

Introduction week -- Week of Sept 28

Course overview. Data Acquisition and control; LabVIEW familiarization. Notes for class are here (ppt.)
There will be only a very brief lab today. We will show you how to logon, etc.
Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 (Basics, SubVI's)
Homework: P2.3, D3.2, P4.3 here (due next week Oct. 7).

Week 1 -- Week of Oct 5

Module 1: Lamp resistance. Notes for class are here (ppt.)
Useful vis for this class are here (zip.)
Read Chapters 5, 6, 7 (Structures, Arrays & Clusters, Graphs)
Preliminary Module1 VI (voltage divider) due the evening of Oct 7.

Week 2 -- Week of Oct 12

Complete module 1 (add in FET buffer and power-up the lamp). Notes for class are here (ppt.)
Homework: P5.2 (random numbers), D6.1 (design problem), P7.1 (XY graph) here (due Oct 14).
Read: Chapter 8 (Data Acquisition)
Completed Module 1 VIs due the evening of Oct 14.

Week 3 -- Week of Oct 19

Module 2: Digital I/O
Summary notes for class are here (ppt.)
More detailed notes for this Module are here (doc.)
VIs for this class are here (zip.)
Homework: Digital I/O here (due Oct 21).
Reading: This module uses material from Chapters 5 (Structures), 6 (Arrays and Clusters) and 8 (Data Acquisition).

Week 4 -- Week of Oct 26

Module 3: Kundt's Tube: in the frequency domain
Summary notes for class are here (ppt.)
More detailed notes for this Module are here (doc.)
VIs for this class are here (zip.) and here (zip.)
Homework: No homework this week, but you might want to review the first-year physics on sound-waves, including open- and closed-ended organ pipes.
Read Chapter 10, especially: 9.2 File I/O; and Section 11.6 Signal generation

Week 5 -- Week of Nov 2

Module 4: Kundt's Tube (continued): impulse response & the time domain
Summary notes for class are here (ppt.)
More detailed notes for this Module are here (doc.)
VIs for this class are here (zip.)
Homework: Fourier transform (you'll likely want to see the Fourier Transform demo VI from next week's lab) here (due Nov 12).

Week 6 -- Week of Nov 9

No class Thursday for Veterans' Day (Univ. Holiday).
Module 4, continued. Comparing frequency- and time-domain approach to the response function.
Notes on the Fourier Transform (and homework info) are here (ppt.)
VIs for the Fourier Transform are here (zip.)
Read Chapter 11, especially: 11.7 signal processing & concept of Nyquist frequency

Week 7 -- Week of Nov 16

Module 5, Example of controlling instruments: A capacitance meter in the time- or frequency-domain.
Summary notes for the class are here (ppt.)
More detailed notes for this Module are here (doc.)
VIs for this class are here (zip.)
Read Appendix A "Instrument Control"
Choose project, with help from staff.
Homework: Turn in a description of your project. This includes a title, who's working on it (just you, or you and a partner?), a brief description of what it does, a brief description of what appears on the computer screen, a description of what hardware you'll need, and a block diagram of the instrument you'll assemble. The description will be 1/2 to 1 page (maximum). And please submit it as a PDF file. (due Nov 19).

Week 8 -- Week of Nov 23

Start on individual project.

Week 9 -- Week of Nov 30

Continue individual project

Week 10 -- Week of Dec 7

Finish individual project

Project: [final deadline midnight Friday 12/10]