A laboratory report should communicate, as clearly
and concisely as possible, the rationale for the experiment, what
was done, what the results were and what the results mean. On
the basis of a report on an experiment a reader should, basically,
be able to repeat it and get similar results. The report should
be as short and simple as possible to accomplish these ends; it
takes practice to learn how to write a technical report which
does this well.
Any report must have certain content to accomplish the above
purpose and to facilitate the administration of the course. While
the specific format outlined below is not essential for this,
it is one way to accomplish it and students should find following
it to be useful and instructive. However, as long as the objectives
above are accomplished, this scheme may be reasonably modified
for certain labs if desired. For instance, if an experiment has
several parts which use different apparatus or if the same apparatus
is used to do several different experiments, the material in some
sections may need to be repeated for the various different situations
and this should be organized in the most suitable way.
- Heading
Identify the experiment by name and give the date performed, your name
(first and underlined) and those of your lab partner(s).
- Abstract
Give an extremely short (only a few sentences) description
of the object of the experiment and a statement of your principal
results.
- Theory
Start with the motivation (or reason) for the experiment.
Follow this with the theory behind the experiment. Give a brief
presentation, in your own words, of the essential ideas behind
the experiment. Include only the most important formulas (explaining
the meaning of any symbols used). Do not give any derivations
unless they are original. The purpose is just to establish the
context of the experiment and state, for reference, the relations
you will be using in analyzing your data. (The proverbial interested
reader should be able to look up details elsewhere on the basis
of your outline.) One paragraph, in good English, should suffice.
- Experiment
Succinctly describe, in your own words, the apparatus used
and the procedures followed to get your results. It is best to
do this without reference to the lab manual. Relying on your
own memory is more authentic and provides practice for your powers
of observation. Tell what you did so that someone else could
duplicate it from your description. This is an instructive exercise,
for your benefit, in attending to and understanding facts in
a scientific manner and to give you practice in describing them
intelligibly. Think of your reader as an intelligent student
who has not done the experiment. You should demonstrate clearly
that you know and understand what you did and can articulate
it simply. Often the simplest and clearest way to explain something
is to give a schematic drawing. This means a drawing without
the details that are not essential to the point you are trying
to communicate. For example, in discussing the motion of a car,
is more appropriate than,
because the essence is that something is moving from one place
to another and the details of the object moving are irrelevant.
It is important to gain the skill of realizing and illustrating
the essence of a situation.
- Data Analysis
Give one example of each calculation made; it should be clear
that you understand what you are doing. You may do the other
calculations separately and include only the final results. For
your own benefit (and for the instructor's sanity): BE NEAT!
When you present data ALWAYS include an estimate of the
error.
Clearly state the results you obtain. Data should be presented
in an organized form, such as in tables, charts and graphs, and
stated in correct SI units. When appropriate, experimental data
should be compared to theoretical predictions and calculations.
Include the error analysis
- Conclusion
Summarize, in a paragraph or two, what you conclude from the
results of your experiment and whether they are what you expected
them to be. Compare the results with theoretical expectations
and include percent error when appropriate. Don't use terms such
as "fairly close" and "pretty good;" give
explicit quantitative deviations from the expected result. Evaluate
whether these deviations fall within your expected errors and
state possible explanations for unusual deviations. Discuss and
comment on the results and conclusions drawn, including the sources
of the errors and the methods used for estimating them. Include
brief answers to the specific questions asked in the lab instructions.
- Remarks
Please critique the experiment as presented in the lab manual.
Could the lab be done in a better way? Do you have some other
or original method for obtaining the same results? Your suggestions
are encouraged and are used to improve the lab manual.
Last updated on Friday, September 16, 2005 8:12
