Labs H & O
Instructions:
The Home-Lab guide has many experiments, you only need to complete ten experiments. You may complete one extra experiment for extra credit. If you can’t find the equipment to do the lab recommended in the Study Guide, then do a different lab or modify the lab to get a similar set of data – just let me know what you are changing in the procedure section of the write-up.
A number of the home labs have errors. There is a Home Experiments Corrections page on Blackboard under “Syllabus.” For Lab C, if you can’t get your car to climb the ramps at the requested angles because it slips, then just do one trial at the largest angle the car will climb your ramp, and then do two trials at lower angles. The actual angles are not critical.
In Lab F, the data table is messed up (page 31). Label the third row down as just “time” and scratch out the forth row altogether. The units in the American system will be Weight (pounds (lb)), Height (feet), Time (seconds), Work done = Fxd = Weight x Height (foot-pounds), Power = Work/time (foot-pounds/sec), Horsepower = Power/550 (units are horsepower (HP)). Etc.
Home Lab Report Guidelines:
There is a procedure on page 3 of the lab book for the labs. Labs don’t have to be typed. My own requirements are
Purpose: Don’t spend too much time on the purpose – just a simple one line description like “to explore constant velocity motion on ramps at different angles” You can repeat the one given in the lab, but just pick out the important parts.
For Procedure, briefly describe your equipment and what you did. Make a simple drawing. Keep it short; I don’t need it step-by-step.
Sample calculations: Show which formula you are using, and do a sample problem with your numbers and units such as
a = F/m = 9 N / 3 kg = 3m/s2.
Data should be neatly presented in tables, with units. You can just use the tables from your book.
Graphs should have labeled axes and a title. They should be neat and large (the data points spread over at least 1/2 page). They should be on graph paper! One smooth line or curve should be drawn through the data, not point-to-point. If linear, then you should use a ruler to draw the line. If you are calculating a slope, write the points and show your calculations on the graph. The Graph paper in the back of the book is pretty awful – buy some, get it at the lab, or make your own with Word by inserting a 20×30 table and pulling it to fill the page. You can also make it on-line at various websites. You can make your graphs using Excel also.
Analysis: Answer any questions given at the end of the lab.
Conclusion: State what you you learned from your data, and how it relates to the physics. If you think the data was bad, talk about what went wrong (error). Calculate a percent difference (pg3) if you found a known value (like pi in lab A).