Overview: Study materials

On this page you will find all materials for your studies! In the tabs below you will find documents for studying or preparing for exams, as well as explanations of the multi-semester courses such as the beginners’ internship and a list of workspaces.

Procedure of the beginner and advanced internship

In the course of your physics studies, you will have to complete various physics practicals at the Faculty of Physics. Together with a partner, you will carry out a certain number of experiments in the laboratory, for each of which you will have to prepare an evaluation and analysis in the form of a protocol. At the end of the course, there will be a final examination on the experiments. The first practical course – the beginners’ practical course – usually begins in the third semester and ends after the fourth semester with the final examination.

These practicals basically consist of the following points:

  • Preparation of the experiment:
    The experiment must be prepared in detail in advance. Before the lab day, each participant must be aware of how the experiment will be carried out and the general theory. Small preparatory tasks are often set, which must be completed and brought along to the experiment and checked by the respective assistant.
  • Checking the preparation by the assistant:
    Before the experiment is carried out, the assistant will check the participants’ knowledge. If the preparation is inadequate, the assistant may refuse to carry out the experiment.
  • Carrying out the test and recording measured values:
    After the theoretical test of basic knowledge by the assistant, the experiment is started. Both the experiment guide and the assistant will provide assistance.
  • Evaluation of the measured values:
    After the experiment has been carried out, the assistant will sign your participant card to indicate that the experiment has been carried out successfully. You then have one week to prepare a protocol in which the objectives, the experimental setup, the execution of the experiment and the evaluation are explained. At the end of the protocol, a discussion of the theoretical and experimental values must be prepared.
  • Receipt of the report:
    After the protocol has been completed, it must be sent to the responsible assistant. He/she will correct the protocol within one week if necessary and reward a correct protocol with an attestation. This can be collected from the respective person on the next laboratory day. If the protocol does not meet expectations, there is a one-off opportunity to correct it. The processing time for this protocol will be extended by one week. If the protocol is still inadequate after the correction, the certificate for this test can no longer be obtained and a further test must be carried out. If this happens more than twice in one semester, the practical course is terminated.

Above all, the evaluation of the measurement results, their sensible presentation and the creation of protocols are difficult at the beginning. For these reasons, the alumni association PeP et al. (physics students and former physics students et alumni) offers a workshop in which you will be introduced to tools for scientific work. Attending this course is highly recommended, as otherwise you will not be prepared for the internship and the general processing of scientific publications. You can find all the information on the PeP toolbox page.

If you do not know exactly how to write the protocols, you can ask the assistants of the experiment via e-mail. You can also take a look at our collection of old protocols. There you will find protocols that have already received a certificate in the past year and beyond and were kindly provided by higher semesters. If you have also created a good protocol, we would be very grateful if you would donate it to us for the old protocol collection. Therefore all information can be found on the page of our colllection of old protocols.

Overview: Student workspaces

Working undisturbed in a group can be difficult without a suitable location. Here we show you a few small places where you have the opportunity to study together. In addition, other materials such as a whiteboard, a blackboard or a separate room are sometimes provided there.

  • Hilbert room (P2-E0-405):
    The Hilbert room is a workroom opposite the student council room with tables, chairs, chalkboards and sockets. The sockets are particularly useful for those who want to work with a notebook. However, the room is very busy at peak times.
  • Work area in front of the student council:
    The work area in front of the Fachschaft has the same inventory at the end as in the Hilber room, but whiteboards hang on the walls here. Free spaces are also a rarity here at peak times. Although it is a little louder here, it is still much more pleasant compared to other places.
  • CIP pool (P2-02-406):
    Here you can use the internet on the computers and also print cheaply. You can get an account by registering with an administrator. There are also pre-installed math programs on the computers. However, the workspace in this room is limited. You should therefore take care not to take the places of those who want to work on the computers.
  • Work area on the 3rd floor of the physics building (in front of P1-03-316):
    This work area is quite similar to the one opposite the student council (i.e. there are tables, chairs, whiteboards and power sockets). However, there is a little less through traffic here.
  • The former physics departmental library (P1-04-315):
    The departmental library – or Bereichs-Bib – is perfectly equipped for large group work. It is located on the fourth floor of the physics building P1. There you will find individual, slightly glazed rooms, each with a whiteboard, a few tables and power sockets, where you can work on exercise sheets or other things with several students. There are also individual rows of tables outside the small rooms in the library. However, if you want to have your own room for your exercise group, you must hurry early, as these are understandably in great demand.
  • Seminar room building:
    The seminar room building – SRG – is ideal for working. On each floor there are small designated work rooms for students – some even with a blackboard – and a large anteroom with various work areas. The only disadvantage is that the SRG is a few minutes’ walk from our faculty, so these areas are not very suitable for short periods of work between lectures. Many tutorials and sometimes lectures also take place in the SRG. There is also a math helpdesk on the second floor.
  • Lecture halls and other rooms at the university:
    In principle, any lecture hall can be used for work if no lecture is scheduled to take place during this time.