PHY579

This semester PHY579 will cover a range of instrumentation problems. We will cover five different projects. Each project will consist of a background information, building and calibration, and discussion on how to effectively use it in classroom. We will explain how different sensors work, the physics behind them using demonstrations and we will build a simple circuit on a Protoboard to translate the sensor signal to a measurable quantity.

We are proposing 5 projects for the semester:

1. Sound Detection (3 weeks) - Introduction to microphones, audio circuits and measurement of speed of sound, frequency analysis.
2. Heat Detection (3 weeks) - Sensing heat. Thermometers, and their use.
3. Detecting Magnetic Field (3 weeks) - The concept of magnetic field, sensing magnetic field and measuring earth's magnetic field.
4. Light Detection (3 weeks) - The visible spectra. Sensors for light and measuring the solar radiance.
5. Detecting Electric Field (3 weeks) - Sensing electric field and building an electrometer.

Materials will be provided.

This class is limited to 10 participants, and will be filled on first come first serve basis.

1. Tom Petruzzellis, Electronic Sensors for the Evil Genius, McGraw Hill, ISBN 0-07-147036-0