====== TA Notes for lab on Scopes and Function Generators ====== ===== Primary Teaching Goals ===== ---- * Allowing students to gain familiarity with using scopes in the lab without the overarching pressure of having to get the "right" data. * Try to get the students used to the idea that sometimes you learn things by just diving in and figuring them out by trial and error. * Using the scope to make a straightforward, but non-trivial measurement. ===== Key Concepts ===== ---- * Many signals we work with in a physics lab are not constant, they vary over time. * The Scope is an instrument which allows you to see a graphic display of how a voltage (x-axis) is changing as a function of time (y-axis). * Zooming in and out on the time and voltage axes. * Triggering, what does it mean and what are some of the common scenarios encountered. * Making quantitative measurements using a scope. * Using a simple function generator to produce a time varying voltage. * Setting frequency. * Setting amplitude. * Selecting type of waveform. * RC Circuits * Capacitive discharge and time constant. * RC circuit. * Grounding. ===== Main failure modes to look for ===== ---- * Scope failure modes are infinite. Don't be afraid to hit Default Setup. * BNC's are not "locked" in place. * Grounding issues in RC circuit. * Function generator controls shown in green need to be at their default settings.