Physics students have a declining interest in the traditional experiments which have been the mainstay of college general physics laboratory. All too often they involve use of outdated experimental techniques which students consider mundane and boring, even though the laws and ideas being considered are still quite relevant to the modern world. The physics department at Ohio Wesleyan is addressing this problem by introducing innovative experiments into the laboratory curriculum which make extensive use of modern sensors, and involve computer control of scientific equipment in the data gathering process. The computer is also being used to relieve the student of the tedious tasks of manual analysis and graphical presentation of the data. Additionally, microcomputer spreadsheet techniques are being used to simulate complex physical problems, or problems in areas of physics which are not easily accessible by direct experimentation. The goal is to show students in an exciting way that the principles they are studying are universally applicable and transcend the artificially contrived problems of general physics texts. While the emphasis in this project is on the general physics courses, the microcomputers and interfacing equipment purchased are also being used by upperclass pre- engineering and physics majors for sophisticated data analysis techniques and for special projects. The university will match the award with an equal amount.
