ME 392Notes on Lab Reports and

Assignments

April 2, 2012week 12

Joseph Vignola

Assignments

I would like to offer to everyone the extra help you might need to catch up.

I will be around

Please email the TAs

Kristopher Reynolds, 80reynolds@cardinalmail.cua.edu

Nathan Doane, 96doane@cardinalmail.cua.edu

Jon Hiebert, 51hiebert@cardinalmail.cua.edu

Assignments

I would like to offer to everyone the extra help you might need to catch up.

Make sure the write-up is clear and contains the figures

Assignments

I would like to offer to everyone the extra help you might need to catch up.

Make sure the write-up is clear and contains the figures

Please us the plotting method discussed in class and the the notes to make the print files

Assignments

I would like to offer to everyone the extra help you might need to catch up.

Make sure the write-up is clear and contains the figures

Please us the plotting method discussed in class and the the notes to make the print files

For assignment 5 the result is the slopes of the acceleration vs. drive voltage based on the curve – fit this is p(1) are the results

Lab Report Guidelines

There is a document on the class web page called

Lab Report Guidelines

Please print it out and use it as a check list

Lab Report Guidelines

GradingThe reports will be graded on completeness,

conciseness, clarity, and professionalism.

• report should contain all necessary ingredients and nothing else

Lab Report Guidelines

GradingThe reports will be graded on completeness,

conciseness, clarity, and professionalism.

• should not contain redundancies or flowery language that adds to the length without adding content

• know what the punch line is and only talk about things that support it

Lab Report Guidelines

GradingThe reports will be graded on completeness,

conciseness, clarity, and professionalism.

The ideas should be to present logically with key points emphasized, symbols and terms defined adequately, and proper precision and units given to numerical values.

Lab Report Guidelines

GradingThe reports will be graded on completeness,

conciseness, clarity, and professionalism.

proper practices for good writing style, grammar, spelling and punctuation, neat and orderly presentation of tables and figures, and citation of necessary references.

Lab Report Guidelines

AudienceFor purposes of this course, you should write your

report as if writing to a technically educated reader who is not familiar with the particulars of the experiment being reported on.

Lab Report Guidelines

Background InformationThe report should relate any relevant background

or theory to the experiment.

Lab Report Guidelines

Precision of languageEngineering concepts are complicated and

sometime difficult in understand.

Lab Report Guidelines

Precision of languageEngineering concepts are complicated and

sometime difficult in understand.

For this reason it is important not to complicate matters with language.

Lab Report Guidelines

Precision of languageEngineering concepts are complicated and

sometime difficult in understand.

For this reason it is important not to complicate matters with language.

Use the simplest language you can that conveys precise meaning.

Lab Report Guidelines

Precision of languageEngineering concepts are complicated and

sometime difficult in understand.

For this reason it is important not to complicate matters with language.

Use the simplest language you can that conveys precise meaning.

Simple language should not be confused with casual language.

Unsupported Assertions

Do not present something as a fact unless it is commonly accepted by your audience

Unsupported Assertions

Do not present something as a fact unless it is commonly accepted by your audience

Justify any statement that a reasonable reader might be able to challenge “The sun rises in the east” does not require additional explanation.

Unsupported Assertions

Do not present something as a fact unless it is commonly accepted by your audience

Justify any statement that a reasonable reader might be able to challenge “The sun rises in the east” does not require additional explanation.

“A resistance heater is best for this application” requires justification.

Unsupported Assertions

Do not present something as a fact unless it is commonly accepted by your audience

Justify any statement that a reasonable reader might be able to challenge “The sun rises in the east” does not require additional explanation.

“A resistance heater is best for this application” requires justification.

You can use a reference if you have a citation that explains or justifies the point or that makes the case for you, otherwise you need to justify.

Vague Assertions

The reader should be able to retrace your steps.

Vague Assertions

The reader should be able to retrace your steps.

You don’t have to spell out every detail of a calculation or derivation but it must be possible for a reader to follow or reconstruct the important steps of your work.

Vague Assertions

The reader should be able to retrace your steps.

You don’t have to spell out every detail of a calculation or derivation but it must be possible for a reader to follow or reconstruct the important steps of your work.

For example “The change in enthalpy was calculated from the laws of thermodynamics” is too vague for the reader to follow your procedure.

Vague Assertions

The reader should be able to retrace your steps.

You don’t have to spell out every detail of a calculation or derivation but it must be possible for a reader to follow or reconstruct the important steps of your work.

For example “The change in enthalpy was calculated from the laws of thermodynamics” is too vague for the reader to follow your procedure.

A better way to write the same sentence is “the methodology given by Jones12 was used to calculate the change in enthalpy.”

Vague Qualifiers

Examples: “a little noise”“a very large force” “a good signal”.

You should only use this type of qualifier if you previously establish a quantified criterion for the qualifier.

Vague Qualifiers

Examples: “a little noise”“a very large force” “a good signal”.

You should only use this type of qualifier if you previously establish a quantified criterion for the qualifier.

For example “A good signal is established when the probe voltage is greater than 2.0 volts,” allows the reader to know exactly what you mean by “good,” so the qualifier is no longer vague

Elements of a Lab Report

Be sure to write and revise your report so that each section clearly supports the other sections.

Elements of a Lab Report

Be sure to write and revise your report so that each section clearly supports the other sections.

The finished product should not feel disjointed but should be a unified, coherent whole.

Elements of a Lab Report

Be sure to write and revise your report so that each section clearly supports the other sections.

The finished product should not feel disjointed but should be a unified, coherent whole.

You can use whatever margins, font, and font size you feel make your report look professional.

Elements of a Lab Report

Be sure to write and revise your report so that each section clearly supports the other sections.

The finished product should not feel disjointed but should be a unified, coherent whole.

You can use whatever margins, font, and font size you feel make your report look professional

don’t double-space since you are turning in a finished product, not a rough draft.

Elements of a Lab Report: Title Page

should include:

number and title of the experiment, the name of the author of the report, the names of the experimenter(s), the date the report was written and submitted, the course number and title, names of the instructor and the University.

Elements of a Lab Report: Title Page

should include:

number and title of the experiment, the name of the author of the report, the names of the experimenter(s), the date the report was written and submitted, the course number and title, names of the instructor and the University.

Make a template once and use it for all lab reports.

If you need something different in ME 496 (unlikely) change it once and use the new template.

Elements of a Lab Report: Abstract

The abstract (clearly labeled as such) should occupy its own page immediately following the title page.

The abstract should be able to stand on its own: there are many cases in which a busy reader may only have time to read the abstract, or that the abstract may be separated from the body of the report and distributed to a wider audience.

The abstract should enable the reader to obtain the essence of the report in the most compact form possible.

Elements of a Lab Report: Abstract

The abstract (clearly labeled as such) should occupy its own page immediately following the title page.

The abstract should be able to stand on its own: there are many cases in which a busy reader may only have time to read the abstract, or that the abstract may be separated from the body of the report and distributed to a wider audience.

The abstract should enable the reader to obtain the essence of the report in the most compact form possible.

Write the abstract last.

Elements of a Lab Report: Table of Contents

Lists the major sections of the report with the number of the page on which each section begins given in a column along the right hand margin.

Elements of a Lab Report: Table of Contents

Lists the major sections of the report with the number of the page on which each section begins given in a column along the right hand margin.

The table of contents provides the reader with an overview of report organization and assists in locating key sections.

Elements of a Lab Report: Nomenclature

Defines the variables and the symbols used in the text. The definitions should be brief and precise with appropriate units given. The sequence should be: mixed upper and lower case English letters (from A to z) followed by Greek letters.  

Elements of a Lab Report: Nomenclature

Defines the variables and the symbols used in the text. The definitions should be brief and precise with appropriate units given. The sequence should be: mixed upper and lower case English letters (from A to z) followed by Greek letters. For example: 

A Area, m2

a Linear acceleration, m/s2

b Damping coefficient, Ns/mF1 Force on part #1, NF2 Force on part #2, Nα Angular acceleration, rad/s2

ζ Damping ratio 

Elements of a Lab Report: Introduction

Clearly present the objectives and summarize the basic approach taken to solving the problem.

Elements of a Lab Report: Introduction

Clearly present the objectives and summarize the basic approach taken to solving the problem.

It is typical to include some discussion of the importance of the problem, including background information and previous work on the problem, but this discussion should be concise and should mainly serve to motivate the approach used in the experiment.

Elements of a Lab Report: Introduction

Clearly present the objectives and summarize the basic approach taken to solving the problem.

It is typical to include some discussion of the importance of the problem, including background information and previous work on the problem, but this discussion should be concise and should mainly serve to motivate the approach used in the experiment.

The introduction must give the reader a clear picture of the reasons for conducting the experiment, the method of approach, and the intended results.

Elements of a Lab Report: Apparatus & Procedure

Used enough detail that the readers could duplicate your approach and obtain the same results.

Give a thorough but brief accounting of what equipment was used, how it was connected and configured, what techniques were employed and what measurements were taken.

A linear block diagram is better that a photo

Don’t include the LabVIEW Block diagram

Elements of a Lab Report: Theory

Discuss the theory underlying the experiment and the analysis of the results.

Begin with a conceptualization of the problem indicating all important physical processes, and show any governing equations(s).

Provide derivations for these equations only if they are not readily available elsewhere.

Provide the solution to the relevant equations (if applicable), however, any lengthy calculations should be placed in an Appendix

Elements of a Lab Report: Experimental Results

You should provide properly formatted and analyzed data, not raw numbers or graphics that do not directly illustrate a point relevant to the conclusions.

The results should be presented as text, tables, and graphics as appropriate to the experiment.

Graphics must be correctly labeled and scaled appropriately.

Every figure or table that you use must be referred to and discussed in the text, which should make clear the purpose of each figure or table and serve to unify and supplement the results presented there.

Elements of a Lab Report: Conclusions

Close by summarizing your interpretation of the results.

Do not merely repeat interpretations given in the results section, rather, inform the reader what is most important about your results, their significance, and what actions you recommend be taken in light of your results.

Elements of a Lab Report: References

As mentioned above, you must cite all sources used, including books and articles, online documents, and any personal communication/correspondence with outside experts.

References should be listed in the order they are cited in the body of the report, using numerals in square brackets.

Elements of a Lab Report: Tables and Figures

Integrate tables and figures into the text of the appropriate section or included as a separate section at the end of the document.

Use Figure and Table number (number the figures and tables separately, for example, Fig. 1, Fig 2., Fig 3., Table 1, Fig. 4, Table 2, etc.) Always use full sentences in captions Label any axes and provide proper units for figure axes and tabular data

In a figure with more than one curve or set of points, provide a legend

Theoretical or statistical curves should be smooth (no data points) while discrete experimental data should be data points only (do not connect the dots).

Provide error bars on measured data if possible

Elements of a Lab Report: Appendices

May include raw data, sample calculations, lengthy derivations of equations, or other relevant material too long or detailed to be included in the main body of the report.

Only necessary if it supports the overall goal of the document.