Lab+Report+Guide

** Use this as a guide when writing your own lab reports. ** ** Every section is important part of the lab report  **
 * Lab Report Guide **

__ The Scientific Method __ Here you explain the purpose and procedures used in the lab.
**Question** ** – ** The question must be focused and testable. // Example: Does vinegar change the surface tension of water? // // Example: If I add vinegar to water, then the surface tension of the water will not be as strong because vinegar is an acid. // // Example: The amount of vinegar in the water is the independent variable. // // Example: The surface tension of the water solution is the dependent variable. // // Example: The amount of water in the solution is the controlled variable. // // Example: 1. Pour 20 ml of water into a beaker. // // 2. Using a dropper, pull some water out of the beaker. // // 3. Carefully drip water onto the penny using the dropper. // // 4. Count how many water drops can be placed on the penny before the water overflows the edge of the penny. // // 5. Add 1 ml of vinegar to the beaker of water. // // 6. Using a dropper, pull some of the water and vinegar solution out of the beaker. // // 7. Carefully drip water onto a new penny using the dropper. // // 8. Count how many water drops can be placed on the penny before the water overflows the edge of the penny. // // 9. Repeat steps 1 – 8 two more times. // =__ Data Collection and Processing __= The design of your data table is important. It is also important that people reading your lab report understand your data. Title the data table to explain what it is showing. Make sure that all columns are properly headed and that units are given. Try not to “split” a data table onto two different pages. // Example: // || // Trial 1 // // # of drops the penny held // || // Trial 2 // // # of drops the penny held // || // Trial 2 // // # of drops the penny held // || // Water // || ** 5 ** || ** 6 ** ||  ** 5 ** || // Water and vinegar solution // || ** 3 ** || ** 4 ** ||  ** 4 ** || The Processed Data is different from the Raw Data in that the raw data are simple results of the experiment. Once the data has been processed, it gains meaning. Determine the best way to display your results so that they are clear and easy to understand. This could be with a line graph, bar graph, pie chart, scatter plot, or even a narrative paragraph. // Example: In the lab the penny always held more drops of plain water than of the water and vinegar solution. Since surface tension is the force responsible for a liquid forming into a dome and remaining on a solid surface, it is easy to see that the addition of vinegar did change the surface tension of water. With vinegar added to it, the water does not form and hold the dome shape as well as it does when the water is pure. So the surface tension is decreased when the vinegar is added. // =__ Conclusion & Evaluation __= // Example: My hypothesis is correct in that the addition of an acid – vinegar – did change the surface tension of water. This was tested by counting how many drops (of either water or the water and vinegar solution) a penny would hold before it overflowed the edge. Surface tension is what keeps the drops of liquid on the penny and what causes it to form a dome on top of the penny. The penny was able to hold more drops of water than of the water and vinegar solution in all three trials. // // Example: In a future investigation, it might be interesting to see if the surface tension of the water and vinegar solution continues to be reduced as more vinegar is added to it. //
 * Hypothesis ** – The hypothesis is an educated guess trying to answer the question and a logical reason as to why the guess was made. The hypothesis has three parts: If …. then …. because …
 * Variables ** – The variables need to be listed. You can create a chart or make a simple list identifying each of the three different variables.
 * Independent Variable ** - The independent variable is the factor that changes in an experiment. There should only be one independent variable in an experiment.
 * Dependent Variable ** - The dependent variable is the factor that is changing because of the independent variable. Your observations should report the changes to the dependent variable.
 * Controlled Variable ** - The controlled variables are the factors that remain the same throughout the experiment.
 * Procedure ** – The procedure is written as a numbered list of detailed steps that explain how the lab was done.
 * Raw Data Table ** –
 * Presentation ** **of Processed Data**–
 * Conclusion ** – The conclusion is a paragraph in which you get a chance to discuss the results of your experiment and show what you learned. Start by stating whether your data seems to support or refute your hypothesis. Make sure to talk about your data and give support for your conclusions.
 * Limitations of Experimental Design ** – In the Limitations of Experimental Design section, you would discusses how well __your experimental design__ helped answer the question in your investigation. Here you explain what worked well (and why) and what did not work well (and why). This is also a section in which outlier points could be discussed (if there were any outlier points) as well as possible reasons for those outlier points.
 * Suggestions for Improvement ** - this paragraph is used to give suggestions on how to improve your experiment. Look at the above section under “what did not work” and explain what might make it better.