1. Writing a Good Lab Report Foldable

2. Question Rewrite the question / purpose to the lab.
The question/purpose is found on the lab worksheet that accompanies any lab that is done in class.
Question/Purpose
Which side of a penny will hold the most water?

3. Hypothesis If (what will be
done in order to answer the question of the lab).
then (what will happen as a result of the test). This is a guess as to the answer to the question of the lab.
because (why it is thought this will happen).
“If” part is the independent variable
“Then” part is the dependent variable
If water is dropped on both sides of a penny then the heads side will hold more because it has less designs carved into it.

4. Materials and Procedure
1-penny
1-medicine dropper
1-beaker filled with water
1-paper towel
List out the materials with the amounts used.

5. Materials and Procedure
Summarize the procedure from the lab.

6. Qualitative Observations
During an experiment, good scientist’s write down observations that they describe what is happening during each test.
How did the variable act (or respond) in each test?
Did the variable do anything unusual?
Where there any differences between the tests of each variable?
For qualitative observations to be valid, they must be recorded during the experiment is happening.
These notes are then used to create a description of what happened during the lab.
The description needs to make sense to the lab.
The description needs to be detailed.

7. Qualitative Observations
In all three trials for both the heads and tails side of the penny a dome of water formed on top of the penny. It was noticed that on the second trial for the heads side of the penny, the drops of water coming the dropper appeared to be bigger than the drops from the other two trials.
Heads Side
1st trial , dome of water formed.
2nd trial, dome of water formed. Drops appeared bigger out of the dropper than the first trial.
3rd trial, dome of water formed.
Tails Side
1st trial, dome of water formed just like it did on the heads side.
2nd trial, dome of water formed again.
Noticed it was hard to have dropper at same height for each trial.
While doing the lab, record observations on a scratch sheet of paper.
Use those observations to formulate the qualitative observations in your lab report.

8. Quantitative Observations
This is the “if” part of the hypothesis. Summarizes what you are testing. This is written in the far left column.
This variable is found in the “then” part of the hypothesis. This is what is being measured. This is written in the far right column.
Data Table
First item being tested
Second item being tested
Result of the first item being tested result
Title
Title needs to connect the independent and dependent variables
Result of the second item being tested
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3

9. Quantitative Observations
Title
Graph
dependent Variable
units measured in (if applicable)
First item being tested
Second item being tested
Title needs to connect the independent and dependent variables
independent variable
Create a scale starting at 0 and going up in equal increments
Hint: Only graph the far right column from the data table.

10. Analysis
Take the results of graph and write every data point in a complete sentence.
Then explain how the independent variable is related to the dependent variable.
Analysis means to analyze.
To analyze means to break down the results of the lab into parts so to explain why the independent variable got the results it did.
Heads
Tails
Sides of the Penny
Number of Drops on a Penny
Number of Drops a Penny Can Hold

11. Conclusion
Conclusion has the following parts in order using complete sentences and good grammar:
Rewrite the hypothesis.
Write whether the hypothesis was correct or incorrect.
Give support for the answer to the hypothesis using the quantitative data (numbers).
Give support for the hypothesis using the qualitative data (senses).
Write what experimental error happened while doing the lab.
Write out the question /purpose to the lab.
Write out the answer to the question of the lab (it may be the same or different from the answer to the hypothesis).
Give support for the answer to the question using quantitative data (numbers).
Write out one way the lab can be improved. Improvement needs to solve the experimental error.