Guidelines for Lab Reports in Physics
You should know the routine fairly well by
now. But I will outline the basics of
writing up a lab report in my class.
First, only use blue or black pen.
If you make a mistake simply cross it out and move on. Use a ruler or straightedge for all
headings, tables and graphs. Underline
section headings and indent all writing past the headings.
Here’s a quick rundown of the parts of a lab
report.
Title: The
majority of the time the labs will already have a title. Simply write it at the top of the first page
of the lab and underline it. Also put
the date you began the lab in the top right corner.
Purpose:
A one or two sentence
explanation of why you are performing the experiment.
Materials: In
this section you will list what is needed to perform the experiment. In addition, in any lab in which you set up
an
apparatus you should
include a sketch in this section.
Procedure: In
this section you write the steps that will be taken to perform the experiment,
IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Merely copying the
procedure will lower your lab grade and will not help you understand exactly
what you will be doing. Also you need
to know what you are doing so you will be ready for the lab quiz.
Data: In
this section record any important measurements, observations and data that you
collect. Tables and graphs should be
placed in this section. Make sure you
use the proper measurement and always state the units.
Analysis: Answer
any questions that were placed in the lab.
Use complete sentences.
Conclusion: The
data tells the reader what happened. In
your conclusion you should explain WHY it happened. Demonstrate an understanding of the lab and what you did here. Stay away from “we measured velocity with a
stopwatch and a ramp. I learned a lot
about velocity and how to use a stopwatch” type conclusions. Don’t repeat the
procedure as a conclusion. If you have
trouble don’t worry. After the first
lab I will pass out an example of a good lab report.
Error
Analysis: Explain any factors that may have
influenced your data. Systematic errors
are the most helpful. Explain not only
why they affected the experiment but how.
Be specific! Did the error make
your weight measurement too high? Too
low? Etc.
You can list experimental
errors but stay away from “we messed up the lab” or we had errors because my
lab partners don’t’ know what they’re doing” type comments.