ABSTRACT

“Condensed matter” means liquids, solids, and things in between (like jello). It includes solid state physics, which is responsible for the transistor, integrated circuits, and virtually every device powered by electricity. It has strong connections to many other fields, including materials science, biophysics, and chemistry. The majority of physicists are in the areas of condensed matter, and by far the most publications are in condensed matter. A “measurement chain” consists of the sequence of instruments used to make a measurement. Often, this includes one or more amplifiers and one or more filters. Use Harry Nyquist’s Equation to find a relation between the rms voltage measured in an experiment, the resistance, the temperature, and the equivalent noise bandwidth of the experimental apparatus. At the beginning of the lab period, get started on assembling any connection boxes student may need and on running a rough version of the experiment to see how things are working.