A practical, hands-on guide to physical measurements you can perform in a lab or at home.
This edition of Sophomore Course in Physical Measurements offers clear, step‑by‑step experiments that explore optics, magnetism, and electrical measurements with real data and careful reasoning.
The material focuses on building skills you can apply in real experiments: setting up instruments, taking careful readings, and checking results for accuracy. You’ll learn how to calibrate devices, design simple circuits, and interpret measurements to draw conclusions.
- Calibrate voltmeters and galvanometers using parallel and series connections, with guidance on reading deflections and confirming proportionality to EMF.
- Explore diffraction with slits and gratings to determine spacing and geometry, including weighing the effect of setup alignment.
- Measure focal length and lens properties, and compare red and blue light behavior to understand refractive index changes with color.
- Work through practical methods for index of refraction in liquids and solids, using standard optical bench procedures.
Ideal for students who want reliable, hands‑on physics practice and a solid grounding in laboratory technique.