A Practical Examination in Experimental Methods

Researchers who excel at conducting experiments tend to have several traits in common. They understand the purpose and underlying physics of each measurement, and they know how to select the appropriate equipment. The effective experimentalist can quickly assess the quality of the data and knows how to troubleshoot malfunctioning equipment. In this paper, we argue that these practical skills in acoustics and vibrations are important enough that they must be taught and assessed. A practical, hands-on examination is described. In this examination, the student is asked to make a basic measurement involving several pieces of equipment. The student is told beforehand that much of the equipment is known to be damaged or not functioning. The student must therefore use their troubleshooting skills to identify working equipment, make the measurement, and have confidence in their results.