Every week, you will complete an experiment in lab. A pre-lab must be completed and turned in prior to the experiment for that day.
Below are items covered in a more or less chronological order of when you will complete or turn them in. Guides for these components (pre-lab, experiment & datasheet, and post-lab) can be found on the navigation bar to the left. Each component will be covered in much more detail for each corresponding experiment within the links provided below.
PRE-LAB
Labs will meet weekly. You will complete and turn in a pre-lab every week for the experiment that will be performed at the beginning of lab. The pre-lab will require you to answer a few questions pertaining to the experiment that week. Questions may consist of definitions, explanation of concept/theory, procedural, and/or calculations. Answers should be in your own words, and questions requiring calculations should include the correct unit measurement and number of significant figures.
EXPERIMENTS & DATASHEET
Based on past semesters, this lab will cover 12 experiments. At the start of each experiment, the TA will give a short lecture. These lectures may contain important information regarding changes to the experiment, calculations, safety, etc. It may be helpful to take notes or pictures of what is presented.
As you complete the experiment, remember to fill in the data on you datasheet in your lab manual. Make sure your data includes unit measurements and the correct number of significant figures, especially for data that requires calculations along with tables or graphs. A good practice to follow is filling in all unit measurements ahead of time prior to lab so that there is no chance of forgetting it as you fill in your data during lab. Another good strategy to follow when filling in data is to check with your partner on calculations and correct significant figures, if using the same data. After you have completed the experiment, make sure to clean up your area and return any equipment or apparatuses to the correct location or as you found them.
Some things to note while performing the experiment are bottlenecks. Prior to each experiment, be aware of any old apparatuses or equipment that may not be easy to work with or work well, which may require you to spend some extra time. Your TA will usually mention this during the lecture, or it may also be mentioned in the YouTube demo video. Knowing this ahead of time allows for more efficient use of your time to get the experiment done within the lab period. Another possible bottleneck comes from waiting on others to use shared equipment. If possible, it may be a better use of time to work on another step of the experimental procedure while waiting for your turn. Other bottlenecks may include waiting for the TA to come around to answer questions, demonstrate steps, or troubleshoot issues.
POST-LAB
Every experiment will have anywhere between 2-3 post-lab questions. These can be found in your lab manual at the end of each lab experiment. Like the pre-lab, questions can be conceptual or require calculations, both of which must be explained and shown in your own words/work. Again, make sure your answers contain the correct units and/or significant figures where applicable. You will often find that many of these questions can be answered ahead of time without having to perform the experiment, in which case, it is an excellent idea to answer the questions before lab instead of waiting until after the experiment is finished. Once completed, the datasheet, post-lab and any additional calculations, tables or graphs will be turned in at the end of the lab period.
These links below are meant to guide you in preparing your own work. They include the pre-lab, datasheet, post-lab questions and additional materials like charts/tables, graphs, and potential quiz questions for that specific lab. Information provided has been redesigned to give similar questions and sample data. Please note that your answers should be different since they will be dependent on data you obtained when performing the experiment. The experiments are ordered numerically for easier navigation but are not necessarily performed in that order. All material is subject to change.
