Writing the Lab Report

Page
1

Slide 1

The Lab Report

Slide 2

Lab Report Format

Slide 3

Procedure

The procedure begins on the second page of the lab report.

The procedure SHOULD NOT be a copy of the written procedure in the lab document.

It SHOULD be a summary of important steps, directions, materials and equipment.

Slide 4

Results - Diagrams

Title

Labels

Includes and/or scale magnification, if appropriate

Slide 5

Results - Data

Data presented in tables

Table given a title

Columns/rows labeled with quantity and dimensions

Slide 6

Results - Graphs

Titled

Both axes labeled with quantity and dimension

Appropriate scale used on both axes

Graph accurately represents data and uses a best fitting curve when appropriate

Slide 7

The Abstract

It summarizes the contents of the research paper/laboratory report

It is written so that someone without a science background can understand it.

It is concise – usually no more than a paragraph

It appears at the beginning of the report, so that the reader can decide if they have interest in reading the entire paper.

Slide 8

Five Essential Components

Background – Define important concepts, theories or laws being examined.

Statement of purpose – What were you attempting to do in this experiment?

Summary of Procedure – What methods did you use to complete this investigation? This should be a summary, not a detailed procedure like the one you completed in the body of the report.

Summary of Results – What happened? Summarize observations and results of calculations and graphs.

Significance of Findings – What important concepts or theories are reinforced by your results? What experimental errors or limitations might have negatively influenced your results?

Slide 9

The Sweet Spot of a Baseball Bat

Abstract:

The sweet spot of a baseball bat, like that of a tennis racket, can be defined either in terms of a vibration node or a centre of percussion. In order to determine how each of the sweet spots influences the “feel” of the bat, measurements were made of the impact forces transmitted to the hands. Measurements of the bat velocity, and results for a freely suspended bat, were also obtained in order to assist in the interpretation of the force waveforms. The results show that both sweet spots contribute to the formation of a sweet spot zone where the impact forces on the hands are minimized. The free bat results are also of interest since they provided particularly elegant examples of wave excitation and propagation, suitable for a student demonstration or experiment.