MATERIALS PHYSICS - A NEW CONTEMPORARY UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY

We have developed a laboratory course focusing on the physics of mater ials. This course, taught in place of a ''conventional'' lecture-only solid stale or condensed matter physics course, helps to prepare stude nts for the technical work force and also serves as a solid, broad-bas ed foundation for students bound for graduate school. Ln addition, the course illustrates the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of physi cs. Classroom activities and experiments concentrate on four materials classes: metals, ceramics, semiconductors, and polymers. Experiments include electrical conductivity of metals and semiconductors ionic con ductivity of ceramics. superconductivity in metals, alloys, and cerami cs; preparation and characterizations of metallic thin films; scanning tunneling microscopy; magnetic properties of materials; impedance spe ctroscopy of solid electrolytes; phase diagram determination by differ ential thermal analysis and x-ray diffractometry Hall effect in pure a nd doped semiconductors; dielectric response of polymers; and mechanic al properties of polymers. (C) 1998 American Association of Physics Te achers.