In a senior modern physics laboratory, design" or ingenuity" experiments were introduced to acquaint students with methods of doing complete experiments. The former deals with proposed long term studies while the latter deals with apparatus and short term actual studies. Students rated the design" experiments higher. (Author/TS)

Discussed are the advantages and disadvantages of two different philosophical approaches, academic or traditional versus experimental, to the laboratory instruction of undergraduate physics students. The defects, failures, and limitations of each approach are detailed. (BT)

Discusses a demonstration in which the near and far focusing distances of a student volunteer are measured and his or her glasses prescription is computed. (HM)

This is a course required of all sophomores at the Colorado School of Mines. It introduces students to the principles of measurement theory at a higher level than is common in an elementary physics lab. The subjects of error analysis, graphing, least-squares analysis, experimental design, measuring instruments, and report writing are covered.…

Discusses simplified experiments in which sinusoidal signals are detected when a laser beam is sent into a photodiode. (HM)

Describes an experimental setup which allows the student to investigate the resonance characteristics of a vibrating plate using a small, circular steel plate clamped around its perpiphery. (HM)