Introduction
Below are guidelines for final projects. These can be either (1) research papers or (2) laboratory projects. In either case, both have a written and an oral component. Projects may be done by individuals, or in groups of two or three working together. The written part is due by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5, and can be turned in either at my office (339 Carnegie) or at the Carnegie lobby office.

Option 1: Papers
One could write a moderate length research paper, 7-10 pages with bibliography. Groups of two or three should submit longer papers, 6-7 pages per group member. The exact format of the bibliography is flexible, as long as all sources are noted.  Choose a topic that is relevant to electronics, acoustics, or electronic sound. Sources could include books, journals, audio magazines, and web pages. Whenever possible, use the background you've gained in the course to explain concepts in physics or electronics that are relevant to your topic.

Option 2: Laboratory Projects
Lab projects require a final written report.  These will be more formal reports than the typical lab notebook write-up. A good format to follow would be a standard paper in the American Journal of Physics, which can be found in the periodical section of Ladd Library. Your report should contain the following sections:

1. Abstract - a brief summary of the project goal, the techniques used, and the findings. This is typically no more than a half dozen sentences.

2. Introduction - a section of one or more paragraphs that provides background for the project. What is the motivation for this study? How is it relevant to musical acoustics/electronic sound? Are there any historical notes of interest?

3. Theory - a discussion of the basic theoretical ideas and equations that describe the phenomena under study. If, for example, you are measuring the reverberation time of a listening space, you'll want to define what RT is, tell how it can be calculated for a given room, etc. If you were trying to compare a theoretical RT, based on the size and materials in the room, to an experimental RT, you could outline the theoretical calculation in this section and report your expected result based on the volume of the room and its total absorption coefficient.

4. Experiment - a description of the experimental method and apparatus. A schematic diagram of the apparatus is very helpful, so the reader can quickly get a basic idea of how measurements were made. Describe your techniques in some detail, such that a reader could duplicate your measurements.

5. Data/Results - this includes data tables and graphs, along with a description of how the data was taken and what was discovered. Be sure to label all tables and graphs completely.

6. Discussion/Conclusion - talk about your findings in this section, and about how they did or did not meet your expectations. What would be a future direction to undertake if one wanted to continue exploring this topic? How do theoretical and experimental results compare? Summarize the most important results of your project. Remember to explain things in such a way that a non-specialist can follow what you are talking about. It's also important to comment on things you don't understand. In general, you'll try to explain all your observations, but if some result isn't clear, talk about it, mention why it seems confusing, and offer some possible ways to solve the problem. Don't assume much about what the reader understands, tell the reader.

Oral Reports
Oral reports will be given during lab sections on Tuesday, December 2 and Wednesday, December 3. A sign-up sheet is posted on my door, for individuals and groups to choose the order of their presentation. If the members of a group normally attend different lab sections, sign up for one slot that is mutually agreeable. I don't intend for anyone to miss class in another course in order to give their presentation, so if conflicts arise, please let me know and we can work it out.

Each person should plan on having approximately six minutes for set-up, presentation and questions from the audience. Groups of two could have ten minutes, groups of three, fifteen minutes.  If you want to do a demonstration and this does not allow ample time, you could use a videotaped demo. Overhead transparencies should be used to present data, graphs, equations and experimental diagrams. Groups of two or more should figure out a way for each member to have a turn speaking during the presentation. The point of these brief presentations is to state clearly the goals of the project, the way in which it was carried out, and the outcomes.

Feedback
I'm happy to give feedback about your project at any stage, including discussing paper topics, finding sources, or designing experiments and interpreting data. The oral presentations will provide an opportunity for feedback from classmates prior to submission of the final written document.