PHYSICS 3700: Experimental Physics Instrumentation and Data Analysis Lab
Construction, simulation and statistical analysis of data from advanced experiments in nuclear processes. Introduction to advanced instrumentation and computer controlled data acquisition. Computer programming is required.
Prereq: 1251, 1251H, 1261, or 1271; and CSE 1222, 1223, CSE 1224, Engr 1221, Engr 1281H, or Astron 1221. GE data anly course. GE foundation math and quant reasoning or data anyl course.
Prereq: 1251, 1251H, 1261, or 1271; and CSE 1222, 1223, CSE 1224, Engr 1221, Engr 1281H, or Astron 1221. GE data anly course. GE foundation math and quant reasoning or data anyl course.
Credit Hours
3
Course Information
Textbook:
Required: An Introduction to Error Analysis, John Taylor
Recommended but not required:
Statistics, Barlow
Probability and Statistics, an Introduction through Experiments Berkeley
Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences, Bevington and Robinson
Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences, Devore
Statistics for Nuclear and Particle Physics, Lyons
Introduction to the Practice of Statistics, Moore and McCabe
The Art of Experimental Physics, Preston and Dietz
Practical Physics, Squires
Course Topics
- Random number generators
- Binomial and Poisson distributions
- Gaussian distributions
- Propagation of errors
- Weighted average
- Maximum likelihood
- Measuring the gamma ray energy spectrum for radioactive sources
- Discrete and continuous probability distributions
- Use of Monte Carlo to simulate the half-life experiment
- Least squares fitting
- Parametric and nonparametric testing
- Error on the mean
- Computer programming and data analysis
- Computer controlled data acquisition
Semester(s) Offered:
Autumn
Spring
Summer