Guidelines And Template for physics 200 lab reports

Your Names

Department of Engineering and Physics

Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA

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This lab template was prepared by Prof. DeGoede in 2002, edited and updated over the years by other instructors.

INTRODUCTION

You will write four formal lab reports this term: Lab 1 – Errors, Lab 4 – Newton’s 2nd Law, Lab 6 – Work and Energy and Lab 8 – Collisions. This file can serve as a template for those reports. Download the file from Blackboard and edit to create your report. This way all of the formatting you need will already be setup.

Use this first section to describe and summarize the background for the experiment. This could include important theory, equations, etc. Equations representing fundamental theories or laws, such as

/ (1)

should be included in the introduction (Serway). You should use the equation editor to insert any equations. You can use a table to have them centered and numbered nicely. Copy the above table (the boarders will not show up in printouts) anywhere you need to insert an equation

Much of this section will come from your textbook and lab guide. Make sure to cite all references. Citations should include the first author’s last name (DeGoede). The introduction must also clearly state the hypothesis you are going to test in this experiment. In a scientific paper you want to capture the interest of the reader with this section. Convince them it is worth their time to read your paper (assuming of course that it is).

PROCEDURES

In the procedures section you should describe the methods that you used to perform the experiment. What measurements did you make and how did you make them? These measurements should relevant for testing the hypotheses. What method will you use to test the hypotheses? You should probably cite notes/handouts for the various labs if you are using methods described there.

The procedures should include any methods or procedures for error analysis. You may also cite the lab instructions here. These citations will eliminate the need for you to give all the details of your analysis, since it is already explained elsewhere. Someone should be able to understand your experiment and reproduce it at least in principle from this section of the report.

RESULTS

You should present your experimental data here. This section could include tables of data and figures depicting the results. You should include a description of the errors associated with your measurements (show error bars on graphs). All experimental measurements should have a statement of uncertainty (i.e. 15±3). If any number is reported without uncertainty or error this has to be explained and the source referenced.

The results presented should be relevant to the hypotheses being tested. All figures (insert in the document – if you need help with this see one of the instructors) should include a figure number and a brief caption and you should reference the figure in the appropriate place in the text (Figure 1). Figures can be picture files from Data Studio or graphs or charts that you make in Excel. You may use color graphics if you can print in color. Results must include a summary of the results in the text – do NOT just state “The results are shown in Figure 1.”

Always include at least one table or graph which best summarizes your results. This is important to quickly convey the results of your experiment. Often tables and figures can serve a role not unlike the introduction: readers will often scan the introduction for the hypotheses, look at a table of results and scan the conclusions to decide if the paper is worth a closer look. As the cliché states, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

Should your hypotheses be accepted or rejected? This decision must be made based upon the methods outlined in the procedures section. What are the implications of this? Do you believe your findings or do you have reason to suspect your findings are in error? (Perhaps you have proven that mass of the earth is 67±3 kg.)

Here you will also describe the relevance of this experiment. Who cares? Do your results make sense? Why or why not? How might these results influence things beyond the scope of this particular lab? How do these results change or enhance someone’s interpretation of the physical world?

Your lab report does not need to include the answer to every question posed in the lab instructions. Your lab notebook will cover that. Your report should be completely centered on a testable hypothesis or a set of hypotheses.

REFERENCES

Include references for any sources you used in the write-up. Citations may be brief. For example:

Serway and Jewett, Physics, Thomson 2012

Gravé, Lab 1: Error Analysis Handout, 2013

This lab template was prepared by Prof. DeGoede in 2002, edited and updated over the years by other instructors.