Writing Your Lab Report How to Improve Your Grade…

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Format: 10% Intro, Objectives, & Procedures: 20% Analysis of results: 30% Error analysis: 20% Questions 15% 6. Sources 5% Sample Lab Report: http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/labreport2.html http://labwrite.ncsu.edu/res/labreport/res-sample-labrep1.html (Only difference is that you need to include data plots in the body of your report, not just as an appendix.)

Pendulum Laboratory Report Formatting Typed, 12 pt font, 1.5 spacing 3-5 pages long, not including appendix of data tables Separate report into sections Answer #1-3, making sure to cite all sources used Describe the purpose of experiment Describe the experiment and method Describe the results Include data plots and a description of what they tell you – based off objectives Describe possible errors that led your results to be different from the theoretical values

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Format: 10% Title Page Introduction Objectives Materials Procedure Data Analysis Discussion of Error Sources 10% of your grade will be based upon whether or not you have included and made an honest attempt at each of the sections listed on this slide.

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Title Page: 2% A good title is concise, but tells the reader what the report is about. Here are some other tips on creating a good title: Be brief, but specific Do not write the title as a complete sentence. Do not use catchy titles. Expectation: 1 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Introduction: 4% The introduction should state the purpose of the lab and put it in context for the reader. Begin by clearly stating what the lab is about. Write the objectives of the lab in sentence form. Include info on the history, past research and uses of pendulums Expectation: 0.5 - 1 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Objectives: 4% The objectives should list the goals of the lab in a numbered list. State each objective clearly List the objectives in order of achievement Use the equation editor to enter equations Expectation: 0.25 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Materials: 4% The materials list should include all essential equipment in a bulleted form. Include all measuring devices Include any supporting structures Insert a picture of the apparatus as a Figure Expectation: 0.5 - 1 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Procedures: 6% The procedure should include enough detail about the materials and methods you used so that someone else could repeat your experiment. Use numbered lists Separate the parts of the procedure (e.g. mass, amplitude, length) Be as detailed as possible Expectation: 1-2 pages

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Data: 10% The data section should include all of the processed data in table and graph format. No raw data, please! Label tables as Table #; label graphs as Figure # For graphs, label the title and axes (include units on the axes) Use bold font and include units in the column headings of tables Expectation: 1-2 pages

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Analysis: 20% The analysis should include a discussion of each objective and how the data helped you to achieve it. Refer to Figure/Table #’s in the Data section Separate each objective into its own paragraph Argue your points logically and be as detailed as possible Expectation: 1-2 pages

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Discussion of Error: 20% The discussion of error should include an accounting of all of the sources of error as well as an estimation of the amount of error in your results. Be as detailed as possible Discuss your efforts to minimize error Expectation: 0.5 - 1 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Additional Questions: 15% Using the data you obtained extrapolate the length of string required for the period of oscillation of the pendulum to equal 3.5 seconds. Explain your process and show all work. Assuming that the constant C equals 2π, find a best-value for the acceleration due to gravity. Explain your process and show all work. Expectation: 0.5 – 1 page

Pendulum Laboratory Report Grading Rubric: Sources: 5% The sources cited should include all of the references used in your report. Use APA formatting when citing sources. Citationmachine.net can help you with formatting. Expectation: ~0.25 pages