The data section should be used to show both the raw data and the calculated data that you are about to conclude upon. It needs to be organized in a way that is both easy to understand and follows the chronological order of the lab experiment.
What Goes Into Your Data Section:
-In neat, organized, and labeled tables, all of the data that you measured and all of the data that you calculated.
-At least one graph showing the data that is most important for forming your conclusion. (others may be required, but you should always be showing your key data trends graphically)
-Under each table and graph there needs to be a caption paragraph explaining what data is included in that table or graph and any important trends that are evident in that data.
-One example of each type of calculation that you used in analyzing your measured data. Each example should show the formula used and the math done out from the formula all the way down to your answer.
Helpful Hints:
- If time allows it is always easier to have your data table organized before the experiment. That way you know what measurements you are taking and you don't have to sort through unorganized data when you are going to write your lab.
- To determine which calculations you need to show, simply go through your data tables and note whether you measured each value. If you did not, there needs to be an example calculation shown of how to get to that number.
-Remember, you only need to show one example of each type of calculation, not every calculation. So if you do twenty different velocity calculations and five different % error calculations you only need to show 2 example calculations, one velocity and one % error.
- Here is an explanation of how to make a graph in google sheets
Common Mistakes:
-Making an interpretation of the data in terms of what you think the results mean. This is for the conclusion section only. You should be highlighting important trends that will be used to make your interpretations, but not discussing meaning in any way.
-Just including final results as your data. The actual measurements that you take in the lab are the most important thing to include, as they are the facts that you are going to base your conclusion on. The computed results mean nothing to someone reading your lab without the measured values that they originate from.
-Not including units in tables and graphs.
-Basically restating the column labels from your data table as your captions to say what the table includes. If your table columns are labeled time and displacement the job of the summary paragraph is to explain what time and what displacement this refers to. For example if you were doing an experiment where a ball rolls across the table you might measure the time to roll across the table and the time to fall to the ground. Now your column header would probably not have space for you to write "time to fall from the table to the ground" it might just say "tacross" and "tfall". In your summary paragraph you would clearly explain to the reader what those subscripts are referring to.
-Writing about trends in your captions that have no relevance to the question at hand. If there are important trends explain what they are. But highlighting things that have no business being highlighted is only highlighting the fact that you don't know what the lab is about or what the data is showing.
-Including your calculation explanations in your captions, or writing out your calculations in paragraph form. The calculations should be shown separate from all summaries and should just show the formula and the math work to the answer. This should look like your answer to a question on an algebra test not an english essay. Trust me it makes it easier for you and for the people reading it.
Next Section: Conclusion