Apparatus

The apparatus you will be using is shown in Figure 4. You will move and replace the column pieces and spacers, then use the software UI to control the frequency scan. The most helpful precaution I can offer is that if you don’t see clear resonant peaks, the audio jack on the control box may be lose. Turn the audio jack for the microphone input about a quarter turn and try again. Feel free to ask your TA or technician for help if you’re not seeing the signals you expect.

    There are two types of cables in the apparatus: Small, thin wires for the audio connections, and thicker ones with large, metal connectors called BNC cables. Don’t worry about what BNC stands for, it’s the initials of the people the invented this style of cable (called a coaxial cable). BNC connections are the standard for carrying signal from your experiment in your measuring device, so get ready to see a lot of these if (WHEN!) you choose a hands-on career in physics. You will need to change the BNC connections when you are looking at your signal on the oscilloscope.

Figure 4: The Quantum Analogs apparatus. Note the cylinder on the left, the sphere on the right, and the control box and PC at the top of the photo. It’s very unlikely that you will have to adjust anything on the control box.