ASSIGNMENT 1 and 2: LAB REPORTS
Due in Weeks 5 and 10 and worth 240 points each.
You are a scientist in your life and in the real world. Part of the fun of learning about the world and how it works is going beyond the text and seeing it for yourself in action.
This quarter you are studying 4 major fields of science Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science and Astronomy. For two (2) of those fields, you will perform an experiment and create a lab report.
At the end of each chapter you are assigned to read this quarter, there are “ACTIVITIES (HANDS-ON APPLICATION)” where you can find your “experiment.”
Don’t let this be the only place you look! Venture to YouTube or the Science channel’s show “Outrageous Acts of Science.” If you have wanted to put a Mentos in a bottle of Diet Coke – this is the time! If you want an excuse to go camping or hiking, star gazing or doing a geological study might just be the way to go. You could even make up one of your own! Include your family, your friends, your pets! Have fun!
CAUTION: Please make sure that you have the proper safety equipment when conducting any experiment. This generally includes but is not limited to, eye protection in the form of goggles or safety glasses and clothing that is not loose fitting.
For each lab report you must:
Describe the purpose and hypothesis of the experiment. (What are you trying to prove or see?)
List/show the materials used.
Describe the procedure. (Describe the steps of the experiment and what you did so that a classmate could replicate if they wanted.)
Describe and display the results. (What happened? Hint: Some of the data may be easier to show in charts or with graphics.)
Answer the following explanatory and interpretative questions:
Why do you think you achieved the results that you did?
Did anything unexpected happen?
Do the data/results support the hypothesis? Why? (Show using specific references to the data.)
This Lab Report may be submitted in any format: Video, PowerPoint (with notes pages as needed or screen capture as wanted), Word Document, etc., or any combination that would allow you to show not only the details of the experiment and data but what you have learned from doing it. Use your own words throughout.
All assignments, regardless of format, must give citations, references and/or credit and use 2-3 academic quality sources. For example if it’s not an original experiment and you were inspired by someone else’s video, or copied it exactly, let us know which one etc. The important thing is that your sources be documented clearly in a way that your sources can be checked by the reader (and verified by the instructor). SWS style is recommended, but not required.