Facilities

The equipment available to the Physics Department is extensive, especially when compared to liberal arts institutions of similar size. Students receive hands-on experience using a number of cutting-edge research facilities and labs on campus, giving them a greater understanding of physics and making them competitive for both jobs and graduate programs.

Research Facilities

  • Optics laboratory
  • Liquid Nitrogen Cryostat
  • Scanning Electron Microscope
  • Scanning-Tunneling Microscope
  • 10-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and Dobsonian Telescopes
  • Gamma Ray Spectrometer
  • X-ray Spectrometer
  • Computer lab for physics majors
  • 8-core MacPro research computer for data analysis and computer simulations

Laboratory Course Facilities

Mechanics Labs

  • Conservation of Momentum in Two Dimensions
  • Measurement of the Acceleration of Gravity
  • Computer Modeling of Free Fall with Air Resistance
  • Measurement of the Speed of Sound
  • Conservation of Momentum and Energy in a Ballistic Pendulum
  • Measurement of Absolute Zero Temperature

Electricity and Magnetism Labs

  • Electrolysis of Water
  • DC and AC Circuits
  • Diode Characteristics
  • Lissajous Patterns and the Oscilloscope
  • Measurement of the Charge to Mass Ratio of the Electron

Optics Labs

  • Analysis of the Atomic Spectrum of Hydrogen
  • Measuring the Speed of Light Using the Rotating Mirror Method
  • Michelson and Fabrey-Perot Interferometry
  • Diffraction from Slits
  • Measuring the Index of Refraction of Air
  • Laser Fundamentals

Modern Physics Labs

  • The Absorption Coefficient of Lead for Gamma Rays
  • Measuring the Speed of Light Using the Rotating Mirror Method
  • Photoelectric Effect
  • X-Ray Diffraction
  • Gamma Ray Absorption
  • Semiconductor Properties