The Physics Department at Kalamazoo College is upgrading the laboratory component of an upper-level majors course, Optics and Wave Motion. Optics experiments are being performed on optical breadboards, using rugged and reliable components and hardware. A Macintosh II computer is linked to experiments through a GPIB bus so that it controls the apparatus, takes and analyzes the data, and presents the results in a useful form. In addition to handling optical signals via a photodector, the computer system functions with acoustical inputs through a high-speed digitizer. Commercial software permits students to present instructions to the computer with a modest investment of time for programming, as this consists largely of manipulating icons on the screen. The laboratory offers quantitative experience with wave concepts, from acoustics and optics, and including Fourier analysis, in such a way as to reinforce the lecture portion of the course. At the same time it provides skills that are used in modern research and introduce techniques that are rarely accessible in the undergraduate physics curriculum. The college is matching the award with an equal amount of funds.
