GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LABS

• If you miss a lab, be sure to see me the day you return to class to schedule a makeup date.  FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF POINTS ON THE MAKEUP LAB REPORT.  Generally you have one week to make the lab up and turn in the report.  You can perform the experiment any time you have available during the school day or after school.  Since I am in my room all day feel free to come in (even if I am teaching) and go to the lab tables in the back.  Be sure to have a friend with you who has performed the experiment herself so she can guide you through the procedures.
   

• Neatness counts.  If you need to draw a straight line, use a RULER.  All graphs are to be done on Graph Paper Only AND IN PENCIL.  Do not use your computer to generate graphs unless I specifically tell you to.  All graphs must have appropriate Titles and Labels including Units!
   

• ORDER COUNTS ! If any section of the lab report is out of order, one point (out of the 30 possible points) will be deducted. The order of all lab reports is:  PURPOSE (objective), DATA/RESULTS, ERROR ANALYSIS (if present), QUESTIONS (if present), CONCLUSION.

LAB REPORT FORMAT

• Highlight the purpose (objective) on the first page of the lab if you are turning in the first page of the handout
  (and I will tell you for each lab report).  If not , the first page of your report should have your name, the name of the lab and the purpose copied exactly from the lab handout.
   

• Complete any tables given (following the rules of significant digits) and be sure to show proper calculations (which include the equation without numbers, the equation with numbers and then an answer with units) either in the calculation section (if there is one) or in a section of the lab titled Data/Results.  It is here that you should include any required graphs, diagrams and/or observations.
   

• If the experiment includes percent difference, include it in the tables and show the calculations in the appropriate space.  However, if the lab involves something called error judgments, title the next section of the report Error Analysis and follow the instructions I will provide the first time we use them. 
   

• The next section is titled Questions (if there are any).  Be sure your answers are in complete sentences and clearly written (if on the handout) or typed.
   

• The FINAL (and I mean the last pages of the report) section is your CONCLUSION.  This section MUST be typed.  Do not discuss what you write in this section with anyone but Mrs. Adamo. 
   

• ALL conclusions start with a restatement of the objective in the PAST tense.  (Ex.  The objective of this lab was to verify F=ma.)  Then using a brief summary of the procedures, tell how you attempted to achieve the objective of this lab.  Be sure to go back to the objective to see what you need to discuss to show me that you tried to achieve during the lab.   You can use the different parts of the objective to organize the paragraphs of your conclusion.  Provide evidence for your success (or not) at achieving the objective of the lab by using the actual numbers of your results (and put into the tables) and/or the results of your graphs. If you have any questions about this, just come and talk to me. I will be happy to help you. FOR THE FIRST QUARTER I WILL PREVIEW YOUR CONCLUSIONS FOR YOU IF YOU GIVE THEM TO ME AT LEAST THE DAY BEFORE THE LAB REPORT IS DUE.  THIS WAY YOU CAN TURN IN A CORRECTED COPY OF YOUR CONCLUSION WITH YOUR REPORT AND DEVELOP THE CORRECT STYLE FOR FUTURE CONCLUSIONS.
   

• If the lab involves Percent Difference, the next part of your conclusion should include statements like "Since the measured and calculated values  (which you have written in the conclusion previously) were not equal, we calculated the percent difference to be ____ (fill in number).  Then state how it compares to the limit set in class for this particular experiment, stating that limit as part of your conclusion.  If your value is at or lower than the limit, you can state that you were successful at achieving the purpose of the lab since your error is below the set limit and be sure to state the number of the limit.  If your value is higher than the limit, then you must state that you were not successful at achieving the purpose of this lab and include some reasons for your higher than accepted percent difference.
   

• If the lab involves Error Analysis, state that since your measured and calculated values (which you have written in the conclusion ) were not equal, you performed an error analysis (DO NOT INCLUDE THE MATH FOR THIS IN THE CONCLUSION) and produced the following bar graphs. Put a colon after the word graphs and draw the bars (will show you how in class) right there in the paragraph in the conclusion.  AFTER the bars, you need to tell me whether or not you were successful at achieving the purpose and what about the bar graphs tells you this.  I will explain further when we get to this in class.  THERE IS NEVER ANY MENTION OF POSSIBLE ERRORS IN THE CONCLUSION ITSELF WHEN USING ERROR ANALYSIS!

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