Lab Notebook
If
you do an experiment and do not accurately record the data, it is as if you did
not do the experiment at all. You must have a lab notebook that is separate
from your regular lecture notebook. The notebook must be bound, not loose leaf
(a composition book or a spiral bound notebook are fine). The notebook will not
be graded per se, but all data in you lab reports must be derived from data in
your lab notebook. Your instructor may, at any time, ask you to show where data
in your lab reports is found in your notebook.
·
When you record data, give it an
appropriate label and always include
appropriate units. For example, don't write this: 1.023
Do write this: Step
1. mass of aluminum= 1.023 g
·
It is not necessary to rewrite the
lab procedure in the notebook but you must
record any deviations/differences between the downloaded procedure and what you
actually did in lab.
·
Do NOT write on the experiment
handout except when it also serves as a report form. It is a very bad habit.
·
If the experiment instructions tell
you to "accurately weigh about 1 g" of a material, that means you
should record the mass exactly, but it does not need to be exactly 1.000g.
Anywhere from 0.900g to 1.100g is fine. It is considered bad form to weigh
exactly 1.000g.
Lab
Reports
For
each experiment, you will hand in a lab report. The lab report is due on the
date listed in the above table. You will conduct most experiments with a lab
partner, but your lab report must be your own work. It is fine to work together
on understanding the chemistry, but your write-up should always be done
individually. Copying wording or calculations from someone else is considered
plagiarism. Directions for how to write a lab report and a sample report are
posted here: