Course Catalogue

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To provide students with an opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the key principles and applications of advanced project work, and their relevance to current developments in physics.

Normally at least 10 hours per week will be spent on practical work, over a period of two semesters. Students will hold at least one weekly meeting with the project supervisor. Additional time will normally be required for background research and for the preparation of the report and the oral presentation.

This course is normally only open to students who meet the requirements for entry, or progression, for a degree programme which includes a 40 credit H-level Physics Project as an elective or compulsory course.

A 40-credit H-level Physics Project is an elective course for the following degree programmes:

BSc (Honours) Chemical Physics

Also students must normally have attended previously the following pre-requisite courses:

PHYS4009 Honours Physics Laboratory

PHYS4023P Physics Project (20 credits)

PHYS4022P Physics Project (30 credits)

PHYS4028 Solid State Physics;

PHYS4015 Nuclear and Particle Physics;

PHYS4002 Atomic Systems;

PHYS4030 Thermal Physics or PHYS4004 Electromagnetic Theory 1

The student will be assessed on how well they conduct their project, on a public oral presentation of their project and on the quality of a final written report on their project. The contributions of these assessments to the final course mark will be:

Project work 40%

Oral presentation 20%

Final report 40%

To provide students with training in the principles and practice of physical measurement techniques and scientific data analysis, and give the opportunity for the student to apply these in performing an extended project in a topic relevant to their degree discipline. To develop the student's transferable skills, concentrating on the writing of reports on individual project work and in verbal communication of such results. To develop the student's ability to work effectively and to reinforce their individual responsibility for their own learning.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

■ Prepare a preliminary list of goals to be achieved during the project, in collaboration with a lab partner and project supervisor;

■ Write an interim progress report and plan of action;

■ Perform the practical/computational part of the project, in collaboration with a lab partner but with some independent development of the work by each student;

■ Keep a logbook detailing the work done;

■ Revise the goals and strategies for completion of the project, in the light of progress made;

■ Write a report containing a full description of the aims, methods, outcomes and conclusions of the project;

■ Prepare an oral presentation describing the work performed in the project, and answer questions related to the presentation of the work carried out.