Unit Lab Expectations
Your Lab Report must include the following:
- Title page
- Introduction
- Hypothesis
- Procedure/Materials/Design
- Observations
- Analysis
- Error Analysis
- Conclusion
- References
- Appendix
1. TITLE PAGE
2. INTRODUCTION
- 1 page double spaced
- Tell me the background information/physics that is involved in the lab.
- What are we trying to observe/determine? What is the goal of the lab?
- How will we go about reaching that goal?
3. HYPOTHESIS
- What do you expect will happen?
4. PROCEDURE
- Brief summary of what you did.
- Written in past passive voice (no I, we, they, or you)
- Ex. Instead of "I put water to the test tube" we say "Water was added to the test tube"
- State source of complete procedure. I.E. "See lab sheet Inclined Plane Lab".
- Material List
- Diagram of experimental setup. Always label diagrams or graphs with "Fig. 1 v-t graph of cart" under the diagram. See below for example.
5. OBSERVATIONS
- Your observation tables
- Always label tables on top. See example below.
6. ANALYSIS
- Lab graphs
- Description of what the graph is telling you
- Your calculations
- What do the calculations means?
7. ERROR ANALYSIS
- What are the sources of error?
- Did the errors cause the results to be skewed in an expected way?
- Systematic error. Not human error
- Percent error calculations
8. CONCLUSIONS
- What were the results of the lab?
- Did we prove a physical law?
- Did we determine a physical constant?
- Was our results close to what we expected (recall the hypothesis)
9. REFERENCES
- What references did you use
- APA Format: https://www.citethisforme.com/citation-generator/apa
10. APPENDIX
- Any extra stuff
- Graphs that were used but didn't help with our main results
- Extra calculations
- Rough tables
Lab Report Rubric
| Category | Level 1 (50–59%) | Level 2 (60–69%) | Level 3 (70–79%) | Level 4 (80–100%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KnowledgeUnderstanding of physics concepts, principles, and theories related to the lab | Demonstrates limited understanding; major misconceptions; lacks detail | Demonstrates some understanding; some errors or omissions | Demonstrates considerable understanding; mostly accurate and complete | Demonstrates thorough understanding with detailed, accurate, and relevant content |
| ThinkingFormulating hypothesis, designing experiment, analyzing results, error analysis | Hypothesis or analysis is unclear or illogical; minimal insight into sources of error | Hypothesis and analysis show some logic; identifies a few valid errors | Logical hypothesis; sound analysis; identifies several relevant sources of error | Insightful hypothesis and analysis; error analysis is thorough, with understanding of systematic issues |
| CommunicationOrganization, clarity, grammar, use of proper format (e.g., past passive voice, labeled diagrams/tables) | Report lacks clarity and organization; many format issues and errors | Report is somewhat organized and clear; some format elements present | Well-organized; uses correct terminology; minor errors in grammar or format | Exceptionally clear and well-organized; adheres fully to scientific conventions and formatting |
| ApplicationUse of procedures, data collection, graphing, calculations, drawing conclusions | Uses procedure or equipment with limited effectiveness; poor or incomplete data | Follows procedure with some effectiveness; data and calculations are somewhat accurate | Applies procedures and collects data accurately; clear and mostly correct calculations and graphs | Applies procedures expertly; highly accurate data and graphs; insightful and well-supported conclusions |
Last modified: Monday, 12 May 2025, 3:19 PM