Basic Practical Course

The basic practical course is not only a central component of the first semester of a physics degree course, but is also part of the basic training of many other natural science and engineering degree courses.

Upcoming

The introductory session for the basic physics practical course for minor students will take place in winter semester 2022/23 on

  • Friday 21 October 2022 at 16:45 via ZOOM.

The link will be emailed to all registered practical students prior to the start of the event.

General Information

Welcome to the website of the physics basic practical course. This event is not only a central part of the first semesters of your physics degree programme but is also part of the basic education of many other natural science and engineering courses. In any case, we give you the opportunity to understand the contents of the lectures by performing your own experiments (“hands-on physics”) and at the same time to learn and practice the basics of scientific work.

In detail, it is about first understanding the physical basics and questions, then understanding the corresponding experimental setup (in every respect) in order to correctly record measured values, and finally also about analysing and interpreting the measurement results. The whole experiment has to be recorded in such a way that all results can be used scientifically afterwards.

The basic physics practical course is divided into five topics: Thermodynamics, Electricity, Nuclear Physics, Mechanics and Optics. You will perform experiments from each area, working in groups of two. Please make sure to familiarise yourself with the notes on organisation (opens in new tab) as well as the basics of record keeping (opens in new tab) before you begin your course. We also expect you to fully adhere to the guidelines of good scientific practice (opens in new tab) .

Please do not forget to register for the course and observe the registration deadline! Registration on TUCaN is not sufficient for participation!

At the beginning of each semester there is an introductory lecture (see below), which includes not only information about the general procedure but also about protocol management and, if necessary, data analysis, which we also require during the course. A detailed script can be found here (opens in new tab) .

The current experimental plans can be viewed in the course portal (https://pg-portal.physik.tu-darmstadt.de) from the middle of the first week of lectures. The experiments usually start the following week.

Here is a summary of the most important information for you:

Do you have further questions? These are your Contacts for the basic practical course.

We wish you much success and fun in the lab!

The basic practical course team sends you its warmest greetings.

Practical Course Director

  Name Contact
Apl. Prof. Dr. Thomas Blochowicz
+49 6151 16-20030
S2|07 210

Consultation hours by appointment

Secretariat, GP assistance, Radiation Protection

  Name Contact
Susanne Beeskow
+49 6151 16-20032
S2|07 211

Consultation hours: Appointment by arrangement

Make up appointments: Please send me an e-mail.

Department of electrical Theory

  Name Contact
Niklas Stewen
+49 6151 16-20744
S2|07 7

Department of Nuclear Physics and Radiation Protection

  Name Contact
B
Dr. Jonny Birkhan
+49 6151 16-23584
S2|14 119

Department of Mechanics

  Name Contact
Foto-Rolf-Zeissler
Rolf Zeißler M.Sc.
21603
S2|07 54

Department of Optics

  Name Contact
Mengler
Maximilian Mengler M.Sc.
+49 6151 16-20910
S2|15 110

Department of Thermodynamics

  Name Contact
Joanne Zimmer M.Sc.
+49 6151 16-24478
S2|04 204