Physics Lab Reports Keep these for future reference. Physics lab reports should have the following six sections: • • • • • •
Title Introduction/Objectives Background/Theory, Methods, Data/Analysis and Conclusion.
These sections reflect the organizing structure of the state’s inquiry work sample. The emphasis in the labs will differ a lot and some will have very little in some sections. In this packet there is a checklist for what goes in each of the sections. It is generic and not all items in the list will be in all labs. Before labs are due you will receive a handout describing key ideas for each section specific to the lab and a standard scoring guide for the lab. Please attach these to the lab when you turn it in. Please type the lab report at one and half or double space and clearly distinguish the separate parts of the report. This makes grading easier, but it also helps you to double check your work more easily and ensures a better report. It is not important to word process calculations, data tables or graphs. These can all be done by hand. Also please check your work with the attached checklist, the scoring guide and the specific instructions for the lab. Labs and lab reports emphasize many skills that tests cannot measure. These are important and valuable skills and you should take the labs and lab reports seriously. The skills include synthesizing information, putting scientific concepts into your own words, developing scientific questions, developing procedures to collect data, organizing and analyzing data, thinking critically about data and procedures, drawing reasonable conclusions and writing clearly. A note on working together: Your lab reports will reflect the fact that you worked together, but I do expect them to be an expression of your individual understanding. Here are some guidelines for them:
Acceptable • Discussing with another student what to include in your report.
Not Acceptable • Writing a report “together” and turning in one copy (or two identical copies).
• Having the same objectives, data tables, graphs, calculations as your partner. • Comparing what you have written with what another student has written and making changes.
• Having the same words, sentence organization, etc. in the theory, method, results, or conclusion sections (even paraphrasing another’s report is not allowed). • Reading another student’s report to get an idea of how to get started (if that is your need, see me I’ll help you get started).
The HoleinOne Lab
Background/Theory: Briefly describe the challenge in your own words. Describe the background that makes solving the problem possible. Be sure to define any terms and describe any concepts or principles that you will use. While you don’t have to write a physics book about acceleration, gravity, velocity or the independence of perpendicular vectors, you should describe all of these and other concepts in your own words. It is always good to give examples with your definitions, and in this case, describing how these concepts apply to your challenge would be great examples for illustrating the concepts. Do not make this section a list of terms and definitions. Connect the concepts, by describing how they work together in complete paragraphs. Method: Describe how you set up your equipment. Use a labeled diagram to help you do this. Describe any steps you took to improve your accuracy or minimize error. Calculations/ Results: Show your calculations in clearly labeled steps. Be sure to include units. Conclusion/ Analysis: Describe how close you got to your target. Explain why you think you didn’t come even closer to the target. This should be done thoughtfully. If the ball went too far, the problems you site should be ones that would make the ball go too far and not too short. What do the results lead you to believe about the predictive power of physics and your knowledge of physics?