Reference material¶
Experimental physics requires a broad range of skills and an expansive knowledge base. Such things do not simply materialise from a vacuum, but rather content must be learned and skills honed. It is intended that this page be a starting point on this journey, with materials provided to both aid with specific labs and with experimental technique more generally.
Why experimental physics?¶
Interrogating the universe¶
It might seem like hyperbole to justify doing experiments because they allow us understand the universe, but this really is the cash value of experimentation. All too often we find ourselves learning how things work, rarely stopping to ask "why is it that this thing works in this particular way?". Science is the undertaking to document and enhance our understanding of how the universe functions, with testable predications and explanations the sole form of accepted currency. The purpose of laboratory-based inquiry is to explore the playground of nature: to use the theoretical skills and knowledge which have been developed in other educational media to probe our understanding of controlled phenomena.
The goal is to laboratory-based experimentation is to develop quantitative critical thinking skills, defined as the ability to use data to test and evaluate models, explanations, and methods.
It is important to highlight that the term critical thinking is bandied about very loosely, and it should not be conflated with dispassionate evaluation and analysis, but rather recognising that it encapsulates curiosity and the application of logic to interpreting systems and phenomena. It is not simply a process that is to be used to arrive at an answer, but a mode of cognition which is nourished by asking questions such as "how?", and "what if?". In the context of natural philosophy, this practiced train of reasoning is often referred to as thinking like a physicist, with the core facets having been described as:
Those aspects relate to the process of scientific experimentation, such as formulating hypotheses and testing them by collecting data, figuring out how to improve the quality of data, using data to evaluate the validity of models, and deciding on suitable criteria for such evaluation.
Tools for interrogating the universe¶
In addition to the experimentation being the lifeblood of the scientific endeavour, a core component of a laboratory program is also the cultivation of technical skills, and technical understanding, along with building competency in experimental technique. Whilst these skills may sound esoteric, the formation which is sought ranges from learning about and establishing command over experimental tools and equipment, to the valid collection and analysis of data, along with developing an understanding of uncertainties and how to meaningfully evaluate results, though to the communication of one's findings.
The key outcome of the entire endeavour is experimental design and execution: if a problem is posed, or a question is asked, experimental science provides the methods and tools best placed to provide an answer, and the study of experimentation is the gateway to these utilities.