This is for 4BL, but they’ve redesigned both labs so I think this works for either. I took 4AL before the redesign and I definitely think they’ve made it easier. The reports are now powerpoint slides where you just fill in the information. They use a lot of Python, which I found confusing because there was very little instruction (but you end up just copy-pasting and submitting so it’s not a big deal). There are small weekly assignments and then two bigger reports worth more of your grade. There’s also a final group project where you have a lot of freedom. This quarter I think they were very lenient on grading because it’s all new but I think that’ll change in the future. They were pretty strict on grading the lab reports which was strange because the instructions were very relaxed. I definitely recommend asking your TA for lots of help on what exactly they’re looking for. They want you to stay for the whole lab period but won’t really stop you from leaving if you’ve finished. I would start your lab report during the lab period because some things pop up in the report that you weren’t expecting and it’s annoying to try to find that data again. That being said, write down and record everything! The instructions aren’t super clear on what to record so record it all to be safe.

This lab has been redesigned. It's not as intensive as it used to be (from what I hear), and it uses modern data collection and analysis techniques that were not used before. Here is the breakdown for the lab:

Pre-lab and In-lab Assignments: You usually have a week to do these. Pretty easy. Should be no problem.

Lab Reports: Lab Reports are long. For me, they have always been over 20 pages. My final report was 30+ pages. They aren't ridiculously difficult or anything, but do take a VERY long time. I spent about 8-10 hours on each report. There are three reports in a quarter so that's not that bad.

Final Project: You get to choose what you want to do for your final project. That's nice. The final project consists of a presentation and a final lab report. To me, the presentation is enough, but they want a lab report as well.

Open Lab Hours: In addition to the time you spend in the lab, there are open lab hours. These are just office hours. You don't have to go, but if you are behind or if your data is messed up, you should definitely go. Great idea.

Arduino: Up until now, the lab seems fine. This is where it goes bad. I didn't mind the Python coding for data analysis. It was actually kind of fun even for someone with no coding/programming experience. The Arduino kit that you have to buy for about $30-35 is, however, a pain in the ass. Half of the time, it collects crappy data, and the other half, it doesn't collect data at all. The physics in this lab wasn't hard at all. We didn't even really care about the physics (which makes Professor Arisaka's visit for the final lab surprising, as he criticized groups for not knowing much physics). This lab is hard because the Arduino is absolutely trash. How can I experiment with physics when I am worried of the crappy data my Arduino collected?

Overall: The professor is never there, so the TA is your main grader. I had Shashank as my TA, and he was excellent. Very helpful, polite, and chill. Try to get Shashank.

Good luck! You will be fine!