Report Guidelines

I. Lab Purpose / Investigation Question

The problem or task to be investigated should be stated or can be written as a question by the student. It provides the overall direction for the laboratory investigation and must be addressed in the conclusion.

II. Equipment and Equipment Setup

  • A list of all laboratory equipment used in the investigation
  • (Optional) A detailed and labeled diagram to illustrate the configuration of the equipment

III. Step-by-Step Procedure

  • Neatly explained in a numbered sequence
  • Identify and name all experimental variables
  • Briefly describe how the independent variable is controlled

Hint: your audience is not necessarily composed of Physics types! Someone who was not present during the lab should be able to understand how the experiment was performed and be able to reproduce the results by reading your procedure.

IV. Measured Data and Observations (Temporary Data Page)

  • What data needs to be taken?
  • How many trials do you have to include?
  • How is data reported?
  • What are some sources of error that you observe as you perform the experiment?

Hint: Be sure to clearly distinguish between measured quantities and calculated quantities. In this section you will only record your measurements.

V. Data Analysis (Tables, Graphs, Sample Calculations)

  • How do you interpret data?
  • Include graphs and analysis of graphs as appropriate
  • Show all calculations from graphs as appropriate.
  • State the meaning of the slope and discuss the significance of the y-intercept when appropriate
  • Calculations for any theoretical values should be neatly shown
  • A sample calculation must appear describing the method of obtaining all derived values
  • The comparison between experimental results and theoretical values should be done by finding percent errors
  • If the results are obtained by two different ways, the comparison should be done by calculating percent differences

VI. Conclusions

  • Does the evidence support your claim? Explain why or why not.
  • Discuss any questionable data or surprising results
  • Explain the possible source of any error or questionable results
  • Discuss the uncertainties in your measurements and how they affected the reliability of your results
  • Suggest changes in experimental design that might test your explanations