Physics “DC Circuits” Lab Report

PHY 132 Lab Title

Name: ____________ Partners: __________, __________ Section: _____ Group #: _

TA: ____________ __/__/2017

Abstract: Write a brief summary of your report here. It shouldn’t be any longer than two paragraphs, and can be shorter if you are skilled at being precise. I’m looking for major results and conclusions.

If there are no numbers here, you are not being specific enough. If there is only a sentence or two stating the results of your measurement you are not really summarizing the report.

Experimental Data: Include all of your data here. That includes EVERYTHING you measured in class. (not necessarily just the data you put in the computer and graphed. There is probably more.) Also, it is okay to include calculated results here, including errors. This is NOT the place to do your calculations, but you can display the results here. Tables are really nice for organizing data. They are not required though. If you are not using tables, then maybe have a “subsection” for different kinds of data. For example: Part 1: Inner radius = XX cm Outer radius = XX cm Part 2: Inner radius = XX cm Outer radius = XX cm Just make it really easy to identify what you measured, what the measurement was, and DON’T FORGET UNITS! Results: This is where you will show all of your calculations. This will generally include many equations. Be sure to include all of the following:

• State the equation you are going to use. (example: F=ma) • Define the parameters. (F is the force in Newtons, m is the mass in kilograms,

and a is the acceleration in m/s^2) This could be done in many ways. You could have a list of all your parameters and their meaning at the beginning of this section; you could define each parameter as they appear in the report, or any other way that ensures that any reader could identify what all of your symbols mean.

• Explain any derivations. If an equation is given in the lab manual then you can generally just use it, but if you have to combine any equations to get the one you are using or the source of your equation is in any way unclear you should explain where it comes from.

• Actually show your calculations. Just because you wrote down the right equation doesn’t mean that you used it correctly, so if you show me the numbers you used I may catch small errors you made and take off fewer points than if you just show an equation and a result that is incorrect.

• If you have to do the same calculation many different times you can show a single sample calculation and then just list the various results, but still show at least one calculation for each different equation that you use.

• There should always be some sort of error calculations as well. That may be calculations of percent error, percent difference, or error propagations, or all of

the above, but there will always be some sort of error that you need to calculate and show.

Please do your best to organize this section in such a way that it is easy to identify

what calculation you are doing. Also, this section does not need to be typed. If it is easier for you to simply write out your calculations and then include that work here, that is okay. Please, please be sure that I will be able to read your work EASILY. Discussion:

Here you describe the purpose of the experiment, briefly summarize the basic idea, what physical principles/laws are you investigating, describe the measurements you made and analyze the data. State the key results with uncertainties and units. Interpret your graphs and discuss what trends were observed and what the relationship of the variables in your experiment was. An important part of any experimental result is the quantification of error in the result. Describe the qualitative effect of each source of errors on your results. Describe what you learned from your results. The answers to any questions posed to you in the lab packet should be included here. Here you answer questions about WHY you did the things you did. Show your understanding here. For example, why did we use the slope of your graph to calculate whatever value? For what purpose was a particular step included in the procedure? You need to have your signed data sheets and graphs attached to this report. Whether they are included where they belong in the body of the report, or simply attached here at the end. They can even be attached as separate files when you submit your report, but it is recommended you not do that if you can include them somewhere in the report. Remember, the most important part of your report is that it be CLEAR! If your TA can’t read the report, he can’t grade it.