Dr. Richard Di Dio

Spring 2005

Your lab grade constitutes 25% of your grade in the Physics 105/106 course. A combination of group lab reports, lab tests, and lab participation will determine your lab grade according to the following weights:

There will be approx. 10 labs this semester, with each lab report worth 75%/(N_labs) of the final lab grade. The lowest lab grade will be dropped and the highest counted twice.

There will be two (2) lab tests, each worth 7.5% of the final lab grade

The participation grade is based on:

• Posting preliminary lab abstracts to WebCT (unless notified otherwise, all prelim abstracts must be posted by 6PM on the Monday prior to the lab)
• Being present, and on-time for each lab
• Being prepared for the labs, including having a print-out of that day's lab
• Maintaining cleanliness of your lab area

Note that you must pass both the lab and lecture components separately in order to pass PHY 105 or 106. To pass the lab section of PHY 105 or 106 you must score a 60% out of a possible 100% lab grade.

Notes

• 2-3 students/lab group
• Each group has an established group area within WebCT.  Use this area for posting data files and lab reports as well as group communication
• A report is written as a group and should represent a group effort. Your reports involve the analysis of the data you have taken in the lab. Reports should be written in Word with Excel plots pasted in them. Unless otherwise noted, lab reports are due one week from the lab date, at the beginning of the next lab.
• There will be a 50-point reduction for each day, or part of a day late
• No printing of lab reports is permitted in the lab
• Occasional printing of graphs/data generated during a lab is permitted
• If you miss a lab it will count as the dropped lab.  More than one missed lab will count as a zero for that lab. (Remember that you are responsible for the material from all of the labs for the lab tests.)
• You are permitted to use copies of the lab handouts and labs for the tests. (You must have your own copies of the lab for the test; you cannot pass labs between partners during the test.)
• Be careful when pasting Excel charts into Word - embedding/linking often leads to very large Word files. Use Paste Special|Copy as Picture for smaller files.
• Upload all of your computer files to a combination of WebCT,  network folders, and removable media

Components of a Lab Report

1. Abstract: State the ultimate goal of the experiment, give a brief description of the experiment, and list the experimental results succinctly and accurately.  The abstract is written for scientist; therefore you should not provide explanations of terms or give step-by-step descriptions of the experiments.

   Typical abstract errors include: incorrect goal, the paragraph is not an abstract but an introduction, poor/incomplete phrasing, too lengthy, and spelling/grammatical errors.

2. Introduction: Short discussion of each of the main topics, including a brief presentation of theory if appropriate.

   Typical errors in this section are due to verbosity, incorrect statement of theory, poor/incomplete phrasing, spelling/grammar and plagiarism.

3. Body: Procedure and data analysis. The procedure should not contain "obvious or tedious" information such as "...put the plug into the interface..." The data listed should be essential data (if there is "lots" of data then present it as a graph).

   Typical errors (points off) in this section include: mislabeled units or no units identified, errors in calculations, labeling graph axes incorrectly, sloppy presentation of data, not doing all parts of the lab including answering questions, spelling/grammar errors and plagiarism.

4. Conclusion: This section should be a scientific conclusion describing the lab results, and whether or not your results agree with theory.  Your statements should contain a description of error or precision where appropriate.  If you results disagree with theory, then a good explanation must be provided.

   Typical errors (points off) in this section are just reporting what was done with no conclusion, e.g. not comparing your results with theory.  Examples of non-scientific conclusions are "…this is a good lab…a fun lab…we hated it."

Further Notes on Lab Report Notes

• Formatting: Tables and graphs (pasted from Excel) should be near the discussions referring to them.  Appropriate labels, symbols, subscripts and superscripts should be used.
• Units must be indicated for all measured and calculated quantities.

  WARNING: Do Not Use the phrase "This lab proved...", or any phrase with similar meaning!!! Your labs are one-time observations, and do not constitute proof of any theory. Your lab results are consistent with theory within some level of precision (hopefully)!