Posted: February 11th, 2016

The Metric System and Data Analysis

Before every lab, think about the following questions (
What are we going to do in this lab? (That is, what’s the procedure?)
Why are we going to do it that way?
What are we hoping to learn from this experiment?
Why would we benefit from this knowledge?
What is the “big picture” of this lab?

Answering these questions will lead you to a more complete understanding of the experiment, and this “big picture” will in turn help you write a successful lab report.

During the lab, take many notes and pictures (you can use your smart phones!)
Please make note that this type of report uses the passive voice. Thus, avoid the use of pronouns when you report procedures or results. Example: “One drop of colorant was added” instead of “I added one drop of colorant”.

All lab reports should be presented in the following format: