PHYS 524

Introduce students to a broader spectrum of devices than they can be expected to encounter in their Physics 523 projects. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with some of the techniques available to them when defining and proposing a technical project in an unfamiliar domain. There will be two 50 minute classes each week, split into a discussion of basic principles and a simple hands-on laboratory exercise. The list of topics?which is not intended to be exhaustive?will evolve, according to the interests of the class and instructors. Material will be clustered into units of varying duration, as indicated below. The lists of suggested readings and references are advisory; a large amount of material of excellent quality is now available on the worldwide web, particularly on the sites of university courses addressing the topics of each unit. There are no formal prerequisites other than prior completion of a rigorous undergraduate major (or minor) in physics, astronomy, or