This listing includes a brief summary of the "free choice" experiments available to PHY140Y, PHY180F and ECE150S students, along with the number of weights assigned to each experiment.

EXPLANATION OF NOTATION: The numbers in square brackets following these term indicators, e.g., [1 wt.], [2 wt.], etc. indicate the number of weights credited to the experiment. One weight normally requires between one and two lab sessions (about 4.5 hours) to complete; a two weight experiment between three and four. 

The guide sheets for all of these experiments - in .pdf format - can be viewed and downloaded by returning to the Experiments page and clicking on the links in the table there.

Free Fall: Measurement of g by determining the distance a body falls in a measured time. [1 wt]

The Flywheel: An introduction to rotational dynamics, torque and angular acceleration. [1 wt]

The Gyroscope: A study of this fascinating instrument, in which angular momentum, torque, precession, nutation, etc., can be measured. [1 wt]

The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat: Joule's classic experiment. [1 wt]

Oscillations of a Sphere on a Concave Surface: Measurement of the radius of curvature of a concave surface using a simple harmonic motion system. [1 wt]

The Torsion Pendulum: Measurement of the torsional constant of a wire and the moment of inertia of various solids. [1 wt]

Wilberforce Spring: A fascinating study of mechanical resonance between two types of simple harmonic motion. [1 wt]

Mechanical Oscillations - Resonance and Ringing in  a Tuning Fork: An investigation of vibrations in a tuning fork subject to damping, using a storage oscilloscope. [1 wt]

(PM) Properties of Matter

Surface Tension: Measurement of the surface tension of a number of liquids. Temperature dependence may be studied. [1 wt]

Viscosity of Water by Capillary Flow: Measurement of the coefficient of viscosity of a fluid. [1 wt]

Heat Capacity: Determination of the specific heats of various substances. [1 wt]

Similarity: The study of the motion of solids in viscous fluids in both laminar and turbulent regimes. Emphasis is placed on considerations involving the changing of scales of the physical quantities. [2 wt]

Vapour Pressure of Water: An ingenious experiment with several subtleties. [1 wt]

(W) Wave Phenomena

Acoustic Analog Model of Seismic Reflections: An acoustic analogue of seismic reflection measurements similar to those used in exploration geophysics. [2 wt]

The Acoustic Interferometer: Study of the interference of sound waves using a classic Michelson-type interferometer. Measures the velocity of sound in air. [1 wt]

Electron Diffraction : Diffraction patterns of pyrolitic graphite and poly-crystalline aluminum can be observed and photographed for measurement; lattice constants may be determined. [1 wt]

Interference & Diffraction (Using a Laser): Single and multiple slits are available on photographic plates, and some two-dimensional patterns and gratings for the study of Fraunhofer diffraction. Quantitative comparisons with theory can be made. [1 wt]

Microwave Optics: Wave effects observed using microwaves with a wavelength of 3 cm. A fairly qualitative experiment. [1-2wt]

Physics of Music: An open-ended set of experiments using sophisticated software to investigate some aspects of the physics of musical instruments. Students who attempt this experiment should have some familiarity with both music and the Windows operating system. [1 wt]

Physics of Sound: A six experiment package on the physics of sound, music and sound reproduction. Topics investigated include Decibels, Beats, Amplitude and Frequency Modulation, Fourier Analysis and Synthesis, Loudspeaker Dispersion, Impedance, Resonance and Frequency Response. Totally open ended. [1-2 wt]

Lens Optics: Focusing properties of thin lenses. [1 wt]

Polarization of Light: I. A verification of Malus’ law (the intensity of light transmitted through polarizer and analyzer is measured); II. A study of reflection of polarized light at an air-glass interface. [1-2 wt]

Waves - Steady or Pulsed, Standing or Travelling: An introduction to wave phenomena. Standing and travelling waves are investigated in a torsional wave apparatus, using the aid of your eyes, your hands, an oscilloscope and a signal generator. [1 wt]

Standing Waves and Acoustic Resonance: A moveable microphone is used to detect the positions of maxima and minima in a standing wave pattern of sound waves. The speed of sound in air is measured and the quality factor (Q) of the resonant system is determined. [1wt]

Velocity of Sound in a Pure Gas: Determination of the important constant gamma which is the ratio of the specific heat of a gas at constant pressure to the specific heat at constant volume. [1 wt]

The Light Bulb Experiment : Simple electric circuit wiring and behaviour are explored using light bulbs, a battery, a constant current power supply and many wires. This is a required experiment.[1 wt]

Thermistors and Diodes: Extending Batteries & Bulbs to study thermistors, diodes, lamps. [1 wt]

Digital Electronics parts I & II: In part I, one-transistor amplifiers are combined to make AND gates, binary adders, etc. In part II, TTL Integrated Circuits are used to investigate flip-flops, memories, bistables, etc. Another experiment capable of being very open ended. [1-2 wt]

Faraday’s Law and the AC Generator: An introduction to the AC generator and several quantitative aspects of Faraday’s Law. [1 wt]

Current Balance : This experiment defines the ampere. A fundamental measurement of current in terms of the force between two current carrying conductors. [2 wt]

Hall Effect in Thin Films : The transverse voltage produced when a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field is called the Hall effect. In this experiment the Hall constant is measured for different materials and the charge carriers are identified for those materials. [2 wt]

 Noise and Signals Around us: A modern digital oscilloscope is used to look at the electrical noise around us. This is a required experiment. [1 wt]

Radioactivity in Our Environment : A high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer is used to identify some radioactivity in the structures around us, in the air we breathe, in the wood we burn, in the dishes we use and in depleted uranium. [2 wt]

Radioactivity in the Air : A sample of some hundreds of litres of Toronto air is filtered, and the radioactivity collected in the filter is studied. Another open ended experiment [2 wt]

Spectra: A number of sources of emission and absorption spectra is available. The hydrogen spectrum (Balmer series) is studied and the Rydberg constant determined. Gases and mixtures of gases can be identified by study of the spectral lines. [1 wt]

Scattering: A model of a two-dimensional scattering process. The experiment simulates the scattering of a beam of particles from a fixed target. [1-2 wt]

X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Absorption in Matter: The radiation-absorption properties of various materials, at various X-ray or gamma-ray energies, are studied. This experiment illustrates the physical basis of radiology and radiation protection. [1 wt]

The Cavendish Experiment : The classic experiment to measure the Universal Gravitational Constant. [2 wt]

e/m for an Electron: Measurement of the charge-to-mass ratio of the electron. The experiment requires measuring the radius of the trajectory of electrons in a magnetic field. It gives scope for particularly critical analysis. [1 wt]

The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment: The classic experiment which shows the quantification of electric charge. [2 wt]

The Speed of Light: A modification of Fizeau’s classic experiment. This is a straightforward but challenging experiment. Great care is needed to set up the apparatus correctly. A careful experimenter can get ±5% results. [2 wt]