Brown University
Physics Department
Physics 0030
Orientation
ORIENTATION
GENERAL LAB POLICY
Descriptions and instructions for each experiment are contained in this booklet.
You should read these descriptions and instructions before coming to the lab so you will
be prepared to start work immediately, after some introductory discussion by the TA. It’s
important to be prepared so that you can effectively use the limited lab time.
If you finish taking data before the lab session is over, we encourage you to stay and use
the remaining lab time to begin your analysis and calculations. The lab will be fresh in
your mind and the TA is there to help you.
You must attend your assigned lab section. If you cannot attend your assigned lab section
because of illness or special circumstances, a make-up lab session will be scheduled by
the faculty lab supervisor (not your TA), but only with written verification from your
medical practitioner or a dean.
Your safety and the safety of those around you is a high priority to the university.
Although the lab TA will review the lab safety policy and take precautionary steps when
needed, it is the student’s responsibility to respect those policies and to act in a safe
manner at all times while in the lab. Unsafe behavior will not be tolerated. If there are
any questions, please do not hesitate to discuss the matter with your TA or the lab
supervisor.
The Brown University policy on personal integrity is applicable. Plagiarism of lab reports
will not be tolerated.
LAB NOTEBOOK
You will need a notebook suitable for this lab (for example, Engineering and Science
Notebook, or Science Notebook which are available in the Bookstore). The notebook
must be sewn or spiral bound; loose-leaf is not acceptable. Both you and your lab partner
must have your own lab notebook, and must record, with dates, all procedures and data as
the experiment is being carried out in the laboratory.
Data should never be recorded anywhere except in your notebook. Never leave the lab
without your own set of data – don’t depend on your partner for this! Be sure to identify
precisely what is being measured and include units in all of your measurements. Include
labeled sketches in your notebook that clarify the experimental procedure and define the
data entries. You may be required to produce your lab notebook if questions arise with
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Brown University
Physics Department
Physics 0030
Orientation
respect to your lab reports, so don’t discard it until you receive your final lab grade. You
should have your lab notebook ready for your first lab.
LAB REPORTS
You will prepare and turn in for grading a lab report for each lab. Although the work in
the lab is usually done with a lab partner, your lab report must be your own work. Your
lab report need not be lengthy. We describe below the format for the lab report. Your lab
report must be based on the experimental data you (and your lab partner) have actually
recorded.
The report for each experiment will be turned in for grading using Canvas. A soft copy of
your report should be uploaded to Canvas by one week from the date of your lab meeting.
Any exceptions will be posted. Please use Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf formats. ALSO
you must provide your TA with a hardcopy of the report, either by bringing it to the lab
section (if it meets when the report is due) or by leaving the report in your TA’s mailbox,
located in Barus-Holley room 125 – just around the corner from the lab rooms. Your TA
will return the graded report with grades and comments to you. The raw grades will also
be posted on Canvas. Remember to keep your data notebook until you receive your final
lab grade.
The lab grade will be based on the quality of your lab work and report. There will be no
credit for late reports. Again, exceptions to this policy can only be made by the faculty
lab supervisor (not your TA) and must be verified with written documentation from your
medical provider or a dean.
LAB REPORT FORMAT AND GRADING
Each of your lab reports should follow this format. The relative grading of each section is
indicated.
1. Objective (10%): A brief statement of the purpose of the experiment.
2. Procedure (10%): A brief description of the apparatus used and the steps you
followed in carrying out the experiment. Any problems and their resolution should be
noted briefly.
3. Data (20%): A tabulation of the data as taken, copied from your original data
notebook before any mathematical operations are carried out on it. Organize your
data here as efficiently as you can. Be sure to label the quantities you measured and
give the units in which they were measured. Be sure to define all symbols used.
4. Calculations (20%): State any equations used in the calculations to achieve the
objective of the experiment with your data. Again, be sure to define all symbols used.
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Brown University
Physics Department
Physics 0030
Orientation
5. Results (20%): State the final results of the experiment as obtained from the data and
calculations. The results should, of course, relate to the objective.
6. Discussion (20%): Discuss your results, including error analysis. If there is an
accepted experimental or theoretical result to which you can compare your result, do
so. Discuss how significant your agreement or disagreement with this theoretical
number is, in light of the experimental uncertainty of your own result.
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