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Lab Report Outline

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18 views

Lab Report Outline

Uploaded by

Abisag Nieto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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University Physics I Lab Report - Atwood Machine

This lab report in due BEFORE your Lab Activity 16 lab time. This is an individual report –
you are not to collaborate on the report with your lab partners or anyone else. Your
report must be typed, including equations. In addition, there should be enough writing so
that the reader can follow your logic at every step.

Many students lose points in the theory section, as they have a hard time explaining the
physics involved (not clear enough), and the typical student struggles to incorporate
equations and graphs fluidly in the written text. Take your time with this section, and
make sure it is well-written. Ask your TA for help if you need it.

Before you go to the lab for Activity 16, you will turn the lab report in via Gradescope. You
can find instructions and the link to Gradscope in the 'Lab Report' folder.

Format
● 12-point Times New Roman font
● Double-spaced, .docx, .pdf, or .doc format
● All figures and tables should have captions explaining the general idea of that
figure/table
● Your first page should be a title page including:
○ the title of the lab report
○ your name
○ your lab partners’ names
○ your lab section
○ your TA
○ the date of submission

I. Introduction
1. What quantity are you trying to measure?
2. How do you propose to measure this? (Short summary of what how you are setting up
and running your experiment)

II. Theory
1. Explain the theory behind your experiment. Include free body diagrams.
2. Derive the mathematical model in detail. (Show ALL steps)
3. What will be your:
a. Independent variable
b. Dependent variable
c. Slope
5. Include a theoretical graph for the model. Be sure to include axis labels.

III. Procedure
1. Sketch and explain the experimental setup.
2. Describe your procedure in detail so that one can replicate the experiment.

IV. Data Tables


1. Columns and rows are clearly labeled
2. Units clearly indicated

V. Graphical representation of data


1. Axes clearly labeled with unit indicated
2. Range for dependent and independent variable appropriately chosen
3. Curve of best fit shown
4. Equation of curve of best fit explicitly given
5. Theoretical prediction plotted on the same graph as data

VI. Data analysis


1. What is the expression of slope of the curve of best fit? Determine the experimental
gravitational acceleration, g, based on the slope and the mathematical model.
Calculate the result, show all the work if applicable. (Depending on your model, this
may be very trivial)
2. Is your result reasonable? Why or why not? Calculate the percent deviation of your
experimental result and the theoretical value.
3. What are some sources and types of error?
a. In what direction, if any, does each of the errors skew your result? Explain how
each error skews the result.
b. What improvements could be made to the equipment/procedure to reduce the
sources of error? Be sure to address ALL sources of error.

VII. Conclusion
1. Summary of the experiment
2. Summary of the analysis
3. Summary of the results.

Final Notes
Your lab report must be fully typed. Handwritten equations and figures will not be acceptable.
Submitting a report with handwritten equations, manually drawn figures, or pictures of your lab
manual may result in a drastic loss of points. Please consult the guide linked on blackboard
under the “Lab Report” link for detailed examples and instructions regarding these instructions.

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