ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM

PHYSICS LABORATOTY REPORT

Experiment No: _________

Title of the Experiment: ___________________________________

Students’ Level: _________ Section: _________

Names of the Group Members:

1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________
5. ____________________________________
6. _____________________________________

Date of the Experiment: ________________________

Report due date: ______________________________

Name of the Instructor(s):

1. ___________________________
2. __________________________
 Experiment No: _______
1. Title: ___________________________________

2. Objectives of the Experiment:

- State the objective(s) of the experiment concisely here.

- The laboratory manual or instruction sheet will help you here.

- the objective should state the problem that your procedure and data attempts to answer.

- Some key verbs that you will use in the objective might include : “to investigate,” “to plot,”
“to measure,” “to compare,” “to calculate,” etc

- This section should inform the reader precisely why the experiment was undertaken.

Example

The main objectives of this experiment are:

 To calculate the acceleration due to gravity of the earth using a simple pendulum

 To investigate the relationship between the length of a pendulum with period of oscillation.

3. Apparatus/Equipment/Materials Used/ Description of Experimental Setup:

- List all the equipment and materials used in the experiment

- Provide a neat, correct and clear schematic drawing of the experimental set-up, showing all
the interconnections and interrelationships. Include a short textual description that refers to
all parts of the schematic drawing. This section should have all the information needed for a
reader to duplicate the setup independently.

4. Theory

A concise description of the relevant theory should be provided when the theory is needed to
understand other parts of the report, such as the data analysis or discussion sections. This
section is sometimes combined with the introduction and background section, if this results in a
more readable report. The relevant equations should be introduced and all the terms to be used
in the report should be defined. Equations must be presented as parts of complete sentences.
You will find examples of this later in this guide.
5. Procedure

Detail the procedure used to carry out the experiment step-by-step. Sufficient information
should be provided to allow the reader to repeat the experiment in an identical manner. Special
procedures used to ensure specific experimental conditions, or to maintain a desired accuracy in
the information obtained should be described.
As with all sections of the report, the procedure describes what was done in the lab and should,
therefore, be written in the past tense. Copying the procedure from a lab manual would be an
inaccurate reflection of the work completed in the lab and is not acceptable.
Note:
 Reports should be written in the past tense and in an impersonal style.
Example:
Look at the following examples on using verbs.
1. Wrong: The laboratory assistant set up the equipment before we began the experiment.
Correct: The equipment was set up before the experiment was begun.
2. Wrong: We calculated distance using the data from table 2.
Correct: Distance was calculated using the data from table 2.

6. Data

All the pertinent raw data obtained during the experiment are presented in this section. This
section should contain only raw information, not results from manipulation of data. If the latter
need to be included in the same table as the raw data in the interests of space or presentation
style, the raw data should be identified clearly as such. The type of data will vary according to
the individual experiment and can include numbers, sketches, images, photographs, etc. All
numerical data should be tabulated carefully. Each table, figure and graph in the report must
have a caption or label and a number that is referenced in the written text. Variables tabulated or
plotted should be clearly identified by a symbol or name. Units, if any, should always be
clearly noted.

7. Analysis of Data

This section describes in textual form how the formulaic manipulation of the data was carried
out and gives the equations and procedures used. If more than one equation is used, all
equations must carry sequential identifying numbers that can be referenced elsewhere in the
text. The final results of the data analysis are reported in this section, using figures, graphs,
tables or other convenient forms. The end result of the data analysis should be information,
usually in the form of tables, charts, graphs or other figures that can be used to discuss the
outcome of the experiment or project. This section must include statements about the accuracy
of the data, supported where necessary by an error analysis. Sample calculations, details of
calculations, and error analyses should also be included.
8. Discussion of Results

This section is devoted to your interpretation of the outcome of the experiment or project. The
information from the data analysis is examined and explained. You should describe, analyze
and explain (not just restate) all your results. This section should answer the question “What do
the data tell me?” Describe any logical projections from the outcome, for instance, the need to
repeat the experiments or to measure certain variables differently. Assess the quality and
accuracy of your procedure. Compare your results with expected behavior, if such a comparison
is useful or necessary, and explain any unexpected behavior.
9. Conclusions

Base all conclusions on your actual results. Explain the meaning of the experiment and the
implications of your results. Examine the outcome in the light of the stated objectives. This
section should answer the question “So what?” Seek to make conclusions in a broader context
in the light of the results.

10. References

- List all the references or sources that you used or read related to the experiment
- Using standard bibliographic format, cite all the published sources you consulted during the
conduct of the experiment and the preparation of your laboratory report. List the author(s),
title of paper or book, name of journal, or publisher as appropriate, page number(s) if
appropriate and the date. If a source is included in the list of references, it must also be
referred to at the appropriate place(s) in the report

Note:
 Reports should be written in the past tense and in an impersonal style.
Example:
Look at the following examples on using verbs.
3. Wrong: The laboratory assistant set up the equipment before we began the
experiment.
Correct: The equipment was set up before the experiment was begun.
4. Wrong: We calculated distance using the data from table 2.
Correct: Distance was calculated using the data from table 2.

---- End ------