How to type a Lab Report

Updated: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 07:55:55 AM

FORM

How to Type A Lab Report

Lab reports will be graded on both form and content. Your lab reports should be TYPED, complete with a handwritten draft made during lab time, be well-organized and contained within one page and ready on time!

( Neatly written CURSIVE or PRINT in blue, purple or black ink will be accepted)

*Avoid using personal pronouns in your final lab report when possible!

How to Create a Graph

Place your name, date, group and your teacher's name in the top right hand corner of your paper.
EXAMPLE:

Tommy Hill Figer
October 31, 2005
The Crazy Chemists

Put your Lab Title Here

Subtitles are written to the left of your report.

PURPOSE:

State the title of your lab in the form of a QUESTION.
EXAMPLE: Why do stars twinkle?

Hypothesis:

State your hypothesis/predictions in the form of a statement.

EXAMPLE: I predict that this experiment will demonstrate how stars twinkle by using wax paper as an example of how the atmosphere distorts light given off by a star.

MATERIALS:

List your materials in two or more columns.
EXAMPLE:

Glass                 Balloon

Straw                 Foil plate

water                  Spoon

PROCEDURE:

CLEARLY describe the exact steps that you used to conduct your experiment. In many cases, you will not follow the procedure given to you by your instructor, so it is important that YOU document what YOU did.

Use 6-10 sentences OR 10-12 steps.

RECOMMENDED WORD COUNT:

*Beginner (25-50+ words)
**Intermediate (100-150+ words)
***Advanced(175-200+ words)
****ROCKET SCIENTIST! (250 words or more)

Results, Data and Observations:
Explain what happened in your experiment both good and bad. If your experiment failed, explain why you think it did and how you could have improved the outcome.

Use 6-10 sentences. RECOMMENDED WORD COUNT:

*Beginner (25-50+ words)
**Intermediate (100-150+ words)
***Advanced(175-200+ words)
****ROCKET SCIENTIST! (250 words or more)

CONCLUSIONS:
In paragraph form, RESTATE your HYPOTHESIS and CLEARLY Explain what you have learned from the experiment and include all data that you collected which may also include any drawings you have made.

Use 6-10 sentences. RECOMMENDED WORD COUNT:

*Beginner (25-50+ words)
**Intermediate (100-150+ words)
***Advanced(175-200+ words)
****ROCKET SCIENTIST! (250 words or more)

Š2005MZMARCOTTEMADE!

Abbie Crombie
October 31, 2005
The Crazy Chemists

Opposites Attract

PURPOSE:

What Will a Charged Balloon Attract?

HYPOTHESIS:

I think that a charged balloon will attract particles because opposite charges are attracted to each other.

      MATERIALS:

Materials                            Styrofoam pellets or puffed rice

Balloons                               Wool cloth

Salt and pepper

    PROCEDURE:

Take a balloon and a handful of Styrofoam pellets. After you have inflated and tied off the balloons, rub the surface of each balloon with a wool cloth.

Bring the balloons close to the Styrofoam and observe what happens. After the Styrofoam clings to the balloon, students who are patient and wait several minutes may see some of the Styrofoam leap forcibly away from the balloon back to the table.

After you have experimented with the Styrofoam and balloons, predict what might happen if a charged balloon is held a 2 - 3 inches above a pile of salt and pepper.

Take a small pile (1/4 teaspoon) of mixed salt and pepper and put it on your lab tray, recharge the balloons with the wool cloth, and do an experiment to find out what happens next. You will observe very closely and will notice that the same grains of pepper and salt will alternately leap toward and away from the balloon.

RESULTS, DATA and OBSERVATIONS:

Explain what happened to YOU while conducting your experiment. Report both good and bad events that occurred. If your experiment failed, explain why you think it did and how you could have improved the outcome. Record the DATA that you collected HERE and also describe things that you OBSERVED by using one or more of your five senses.

CONCLUSIONS:

RESTATE your HYPOTHESIS and CLEARLY Explain what you have learned from conducting your experiment.

My hypothesis was that a charged balloon will attract particles because opposite charges are attracted to each other.

I learned that a balloon rubbed with a wool cloth becomes negatively charged. When this balloon is held a few inches above a pile of Styrofoam pellets, the neutrally charged pellets become positively charged by induction and leap upward to cling to the balloon. After several minutes, some of the electrons may drain off the balloon onto the pellets. This will cause the pellets to become negatively charged and be repelled by the balloon. When this happens they may actually leap off the balloon and back to the table. The repelled Styrofoam pellets may then transfer their excess electrons to the table after a few minutes and once again leap toward the balloon. Grains of salt and pepper will react toward a charged balloon in much the same way, resulting in an amazing (if small-scale) display.