Electromagnet Strength
Unit 4: Forces & Interactions
Lab Report Guide
What do lab reports and scientific papers do?
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Persuade others to accept or reject hypotheses by presenting data and
interpretations.
Detail data, procedures, and outcomes for future researchers.
Become part of the accepted body of scientific knowledge when published
unless later disproved.
Provide an archival record for reference and document a current situation
for future comparison.
Format:
The typical lab report includes: title, abstract, introduction, materials and
procedures, results, and discussions.
DIRECTIONS:
When writing your lab report for the experiment ‘Electromagnet Strength’, use the
following section guides to assist your writing. Utilize your lab handout to help
determine the important information to include in your lab report.
TITLE:
 Reflect the factual content with less than ten words.
 Use keywords (electromagnet, strength, magnetism, electricity)
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ABSTRACT:
 Summarize in a concise paragraph the …
o Purpose of the report
o Data presented
o Major conclusions
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INTRODUCTION:
 Define the purpose of experiment:
o “Why was this study performed?”
 Provide background information about the content:
o “Discuss electromagnets, magnetism, flow of electrons”
 Outline hypotheses and design for experiment.
o “What was your original hypothesis?”
o State a SIMPLE method of how you tested the question.
MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES:
 List the materials used, how were they used, and where and when
did you use them.
 Describe special pieces of equipment and how they work.
o For example … closed circuits, electrical current flow
 Provide enough detail for the reader to understand the
experiment, but do NOT overwhelm the reader. Just enough
detail for them to understand what occurred.
RESULTS:
 Summarizes your results in sentence form.
 Organize data into tables, figures, and graphs
DISCUSSION:
 Interpret the data. Do not restate results, but explain your
results.
 Explain whether your hypothesis was correct or incorrect.
o Provide data to support your determination.
 Include suggestions for improving your experiments and address
mistakes made in your experiment.