The laboratory courses in Physics (PL) and Electronics and Instrumentation (GL) has considerable importance in the over all course structure as seen from the credits for the courses. Therefore, considerable thought has gone into planning them. Attempts have been made to have the experiments of PL course as non routine, innovative and of relevance to a research environment. A unique feature of the laboratory curriculum of CBS is the interrelationship of Physics Laboratory course and Electronics and Instrumentation laboratory course.
The facilities available to the physics students are modern and include latest world class equipments. These are continually being expanded to facilitate the students to have more exposure in technical field. In addition to this, state of art laboratory experiments are developed in-house with the help of eminent experimental physicists. These experimental set-ups are aimed at understanding the equipment better rather than it being a black box. Beginning at the introductory level, the laboratories are equipped with a variety of computer-controlled data acquisition instruments that enhance and speed up data collection, allowing the student greater freedom to explore the physical phenomena being studied. In keeping with the Centre's philosophy of preparing students for a wide variety of careers, the advanced laboratories are equipped with instruments typically found in research or industrial settings. At the end of three years, students are expected to have competence to independently undertake small research projects. At the end of five years, students are expected to not only graduate with knowledge of physics, but are also prepared to take the next step in their career, whether graduate study or employment.
In the GL course, the students are taught basic principles of electronics (analogue and digital and microprocessor technology for measurements). Apart from the basic course in GL, it is aimed that the students should be able to understand data sheet of electronic components, make choice of components, have skills for lay out, soldering, assembly / fabrication of small electronic equipment etc. The remaining aspects of instrumentation, such as use of microcontrollers (e.g., PHOENIX system for physics experiments developed at IUAC, New Delhi and adopted for our requirements), use of advanced measurement software such as, Labview are covered in PL. We do wish to inculcate the culture of automation at later semesters, small software development and simulation aspects become part of the PL course. A balanced view is kept in manual measurement and automated measurements so that the students developed necessary manual skill also.
Many of the classical experiments have been included in the course and attempts have been made to give them an innovative flavour. It is expected that the students should be aware of various types of measuring instruments, how to decide on a particular type of instrument / technique when there is a choice based on accuracies, sensitivities, etc. This may also restated as an effort to inter-relate different experiments and not treat them in isolation.
Equipment for the experiments have come from wide range of sources, starting from in house efforts, some based on experiments developed at Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education, some obtained from national sources (CDPE, Jaipur; Experiment kit developed by Prof. R. Srinivasan under the three National Academy of Sciences – particularly with larger support from the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore - and other commercial vendors) and international sources for world class experiments / equipment.
PL and GL courses include a wide variety of experiments in mechanics, optics, acoustics, electricity, magnetism, heat, spectroscopy, nuclear physics, solid state physics.