Lab Report Guidelines

A good lab report should convey information quickly, accurately and neatly.  People who read your reports (including me) will want to know first what you were trying to do and what you found.  If they want to know more they will read the rest of your report.  For that reason, all lab reports for this class should be written in sections and follow the same basic outline.

·        Objective – 2 points – a brief statement that describes the purpose of the lab. 

·        Conclusion – 4 points – a statement of the findings of the lab, answering the objective, with a discussion comparing your results with the expected results (were there errors or equipment faults or what could have been done differently or better.) The conclusion should prove or disprove the objective.  The conclusion does not describe the steps you took, but what you discovered.

·        Questions – 2 points – answer any questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.

·        Procedures – 2 points - a quick overview of the experimental equipment and steps taken.  Someone should be able to replicate your work from your explanation.  Should include a diagram of test equipment setup.

·        Data – 2 points – recorded measurements including datasheets, tables and graphs where necessary.

·        Calculations – 2 points – show your calculations neatly, with enough explanation to be able to follow what happened.

·        Presentation – 2 points – Is the report neat and attractive?  Are sections in the right order?  Is the grammar and spelling acceptable?  Is the report typed with computer generated graphs and diagrams?  All these make it look nice, but much more importantly, are very valuable job skills.  As with all things in life, neatness and presentation count, but are secondary to discovery and learning and substance.

I have a rubber stamp that looks something like this:

When I grade your lab, I will stamp your paper, and will either check each item or take off credit for deficiencies in each area.  The number on the bottom right will be the grade out of a possible 16 points.

Lab is an important part of a Physics class.  It lets you get your “hands on the material” and see it really work.  These are things I hope you get from participating in lab:

·         An understanding of the principles we discuss in class

·         An understanding of how scientists approach and solve problems, and how you can solve problems by careful study, measurement and problem solving skills

·         A curiosity about the world and how it works

·         Computer skills – a valuable job skill

·         Writing skills – a valuable job skill

·         Problem solving skills – a valuable job skill

·         Some fun