Hints on writing a lab report.

For some of the labs this semester you will be asked to write a formal lab report.  There are different ways of writing a lab report. I want the following sections in your report:

Title Page
Include your name, the names of your group members, and the date the experiment was performed.  Include your abstract on the title page.

Abstract
A short description of exactly what you did. This could be only a single sentence depending on the lab you are doing. There is no need to be wordy (this goes for the entire report!. As a scientist it is your job to convey exactly what you did and measured. This is not creative writing!

Introduction
This should contain background information about the physical concepts explored and the derivations of important equations tested or used.  Under what conditions are the equations you are using valid?

Procedure and Equipment
State what equipment you used.  Very briefly outline your procedure.  What quantities did you measure?  How many times did you measure them and why?

Data
A nice looking table or tables of the data you took. Make sure this is well organized! Columns should be labeled and units given. I want ALL the data you took. Use only the data you collected in class!

Data Analysis and Results
Show your data analysis. This includes showing the equations you used and showing your calculations. If a calculation is repetitive, only one sample calculation may be appropriate. Tables of the important calculated quantities should be here as well. What was the result of the experiment?  Graphs (well labeled) may be appropriate here.

Discussion
Compare your results to a theoretical value if appropriate. Does the result confirm a law of physics? How does the discrepancy between measurement and theory compare to systematic (error due to inaccuracy of equipment, no piece of equipment has perfect accuracy) or random error (taking multiple measurements reduces this)? List sources of error. Human error is not an option here. If you list human error here your will get no credit for this section of the lab report. We have not covered error analysis in this lab so far, but I expect you to do simple error analysis like finding relative error when appropriate. We will do more error analysis towards the end of the semester and in the third semester of the lab.

Conclusion
The purpose of the experiment should be restated concisely.  Was the purpose of the experiment met?  If not why? Possibly suggest improvements or enhancements of the experiment.

Remember, be concise!  A long report is not necessarily a good one!

back to Physics 122