Writing a Labe Report
APPENDIX D: LAB REPORTS
A complete report will be required for one of the experiments performed in this course. The purpose of the lab report is to organize the physics involved, the process used, results obtained, and conclusions that can be made for the experiment performed. In addition, you will be given the opportunity to develop your technical writing skills, which is essential both for your advanced study programs as well as your professional careers. Follow the example of the presentation given to you for the other activities. The lab report is worth 30 points toward your lab grade. A lab report should contain the following components. Title: Should identify the physics involved. (Note: Lab 2 and Activity 7 are not titles) Purpose: Clearly stated. (To accomplish what? By what means?) Theory: This section presents and explains the fundamental physical laws and principles used in the experiment. Introduce and explain the equations that you will use in your analysis. When appropriate, include diagrams to support and illustrate the concepts you are presenting. This section must convince us that you understood what you did and why. Procedure: Method used to fulfill the purpose. Cookbook presentation of exactly what you did. Data: The measurements or readings that you gathered. This is usually in the form of a list or table. All quantities should include the proper units. Calculations: Include a sheet showing all your calculations that you used to get from your data to your result. A sample calculation should be provided when using Excel. This is especially helpful for grading. In this way we can double-check your work when your results are questionable. Results/Analysis: Tabulate the secondary quantities that you calculated from your raw data. Present well labeled graphs including the proper units. Discuss the degree to which your results compare to the expected values produced by the physical laws that you are testing. Conclusion: This is a narrative summary of
A complete report will be required for one of the experiments performed in this course. The purpose of the lab report is to organize the physics involved, the process used, results obtained, and conclusions that can be made for the experiment performed. In addition, you will be given the opportunity to develop your technical writing skills, which is essential both for your advanced study programs as well as your professional careers. Follow the example of the presentation given to you for the other activities. The lab report is worth 30 points toward your lab grade. A lab report should contain the following components. Title: Should identify the physics involved. (Note: Lab 2 and Activity 7 are not titles) Purpose: Clearly stated. (To accomplish what? By what means?) Theory: This section presents and explains the fundamental physical laws and principles used in the experiment. Introduce and explain the equations that you will use in your analysis. When appropriate, include diagrams to support and illustrate the concepts you are presenting. This section must convince us that you understood what you did and why. Procedure: Method used to fulfill the purpose. Cookbook presentation of exactly what you did. Data: The measurements or readings that you gathered. This is usually in the form of a list or table. All quantities should include the proper units. Calculations: Include a sheet showing all your calculations that you used to get from your data to your result. A sample calculation should be provided when using Excel. This is especially helpful for grading. In this way we can double-check your work when your results are questionable. Results/Analysis: Tabulate the secondary quantities that you calculated from your raw data. Present well labeled graphs including the proper units. Discuss the degree to which your results compare to the expected values produced by the physical laws that you are testing. Conclusion: This is a narrative summary of