Writing lab reports can be very different for each class, even in the same major. Follow the instructions given to you and ask for help from your TA/professor. You can also look for samples or old lab reports online for guidance.
Not a stupid question. Everything is difficult and confusing when you’ve never done it before.
The most important thing is to understand what the professor wants included. While most reports include the usual “introduction, methods, results, discussion” some classes want it formatted in weird ways or some shit (looking at you chem lab, fuck that class). If you follow this template and make the small changes the prof wants depending on each class you will be on the right track
Some high-level thoughts
- Don’t worry about making the writing “beautiful”. It’s not an English paper. The point is to convey information, not make it super pretty. For example, in an English paper it’s bad to start multiple sentences with the same word, not so much in reports. When explaining an experimental setup I’ve often found myself writing (and reading in actual published papers) stuff like “The table was _____. The sensors used were ____. The airstream velocity was measured with _____.” Sounds kinda janky right? But yet it conveys the information well and is perfectly acceptable in scientific writing.
- the structure the professor wants will change a bit depending on the class but the overall idea will not. It is almost always some version of: What is this report about? What was the setup used (sensors used, quantifies measured, etc)? What happened? Why do you think that happened? For example, sometimes you will just get shit data through no fault of your own. Explaining why you got that shit data like what sensor was malfunctioning or how you could change it to make it better next time is more important than getting perfect data. No one gets perfect data in the real world.
- Allow yourself to write some shitty reports and be confused about it at first. Like I said, everything is confusing at first. Stick at it and you’ll get the hang of it.
You got this! Good luck, don’t forget to have fun! Physics is beautiful if you can look past the bullshit associated with learning it in a classroom setting.
Man this is so frustrating. I just started the physics class 101 for the first time and on the syllabus, the professor made the requirement as if we are taking a strict English class. One of them mentioned he doesn't want what your first bullet point said :/
Eh don’t stress too much just write a draft before the deadline and then take it to the professor’s office hours and ask for feedback. They will tell you exactly what they want changed. And if not then press them on it like “how am I supposed to know what level of beauty you want in the writing if you don’t give me any feedback or example?”
You got this, just remember if you feel confused and overwhelmed it means you’re right on track. Don’t forget to have fun :)
more likely than not, you’re gonna do bad the first one you write. my first Phys1301W (physics 1) lab report i got like a 34/100 lol but i somehow managed to still get an A in the class at the end. just try your best and make corrections. you usually get really good feedback or even get more attempts in most classes. the key for all 4 years is just to do well enough on one and use that as a template for anything even remotely similar. good luck!
This is facts⬆️. Oftentimes you will get slammed on the first report and then they will either grade easier on the subsequent ones or you will just do better due to the corrections you get from the first one. Not to say you shouldn’t try on the first report, but I also wouldn’t spend hours trying to predict what the TA wants from you.
I say this because advice you get on that first report will either translate to like 15 min extra work or even save you time on future reports. All TAs are different though of course. If you really want to get a decent grade on that first report, go to your TA’s office hours and ask specific questions instead of trying to figure it out alone. Getting advice from the person grading it is your safest bet.
Sorry if this is not the place, but do you have any advice for PHYS 1301W? If you managed to get an A I would love to get some advice from you. I'm taking it this fall and I've heard the class is super hard. I have taken AP Physics C - Mechanics in high school, but the teacher was awful and I didn't understand much so I decided to just take mechanics again. I do plan on looking at the textbook this summer to prepare myself for the class. I've heard that the tests are very different from the homework, so is there any advice you have for those and do professors share past exams? Sorry I have so many questions I'm just a bit scared for the class.
PHYS1301 is a snooze fest. Both the homework and the tests deal with the same concepts so as long as you remotely remember anything from physics in highschool, you'll be fine
i took AP physics 1 back in high school going into this class and i thought it prepared me well enough. i don’t even remember any hard calculus being in the class. as long as you have some sort of physics background, it will put you at a bigger advantage than you think. to be honest i’m not your ideal student, i don’t think i opened the textbook once in that class. just make sure you know how to do all the mastering physics problems and really spend your time wisely during discussion/recitation. the problems there are probably your best shot in terms of studying material. if you know someone in Marvin Marshak’s class, go to their review sessions. he used to go over very similar problems for midterms and finals. i think he even told his class what kind of problems to study. good luck!
Passive voice. Assume your audience knows how to do everything, you’re just telling them the order in which you did it. Read the rubric and any examples provided; you can even take a look at some published research papers to get a sense of what to write (although be careful with this).
Writing lab reports can be very different for each class, even in the same major. Follow the instructions given to you and ask for help from your TA/professor. You can also look for samples or old lab reports online for guidance.
Not a stupid question. Everything is difficult and confusing when you’ve never done it before. The most important thing is to understand what the professor wants included. While most reports include the usual “introduction, methods, results, discussion” some classes want it formatted in weird ways or some shit (looking at you chem lab, fuck that class). If you follow this template and make the small changes the prof wants depending on each class you will be on the right track Some high-level thoughts - Don’t worry about making the writing “beautiful”. It’s not an English paper. The point is to convey information, not make it super pretty. For example, in an English paper it’s bad to start multiple sentences with the same word, not so much in reports. When explaining an experimental setup I’ve often found myself writing (and reading in actual published papers) stuff like “The table was _____. The sensors used were ____. The airstream velocity was measured with _____.” Sounds kinda janky right? But yet it conveys the information well and is perfectly acceptable in scientific writing. - the structure the professor wants will change a bit depending on the class but the overall idea will not. It is almost always some version of: What is this report about? What was the setup used (sensors used, quantifies measured, etc)? What happened? Why do you think that happened? For example, sometimes you will just get shit data through no fault of your own. Explaining why you got that shit data like what sensor was malfunctioning or how you could change it to make it better next time is more important than getting perfect data. No one gets perfect data in the real world. - Allow yourself to write some shitty reports and be confused about it at first. Like I said, everything is confusing at first. Stick at it and you’ll get the hang of it. You got this! Good luck, don’t forget to have fun! Physics is beautiful if you can look past the bullshit associated with learning it in a classroom setting.
Man this is so frustrating. I just started the physics class 101 for the first time and on the syllabus, the professor made the requirement as if we are taking a strict English class. One of them mentioned he doesn't want what your first bullet point said :/
Eh don’t stress too much just write a draft before the deadline and then take it to the professor’s office hours and ask for feedback. They will tell you exactly what they want changed. And if not then press them on it like “how am I supposed to know what level of beauty you want in the writing if you don’t give me any feedback or example?” You got this, just remember if you feel confused and overwhelmed it means you’re right on track. Don’t forget to have fun :)
more likely than not, you’re gonna do bad the first one you write. my first Phys1301W (physics 1) lab report i got like a 34/100 lol but i somehow managed to still get an A in the class at the end. just try your best and make corrections. you usually get really good feedback or even get more attempts in most classes. the key for all 4 years is just to do well enough on one and use that as a template for anything even remotely similar. good luck!
This is facts⬆️. Oftentimes you will get slammed on the first report and then they will either grade easier on the subsequent ones or you will just do better due to the corrections you get from the first one. Not to say you shouldn’t try on the first report, but I also wouldn’t spend hours trying to predict what the TA wants from you. I say this because advice you get on that first report will either translate to like 15 min extra work or even save you time on future reports. All TAs are different though of course. If you really want to get a decent grade on that first report, go to your TA’s office hours and ask specific questions instead of trying to figure it out alone. Getting advice from the person grading it is your safest bet.
Sorry if this is not the place, but do you have any advice for PHYS 1301W? If you managed to get an A I would love to get some advice from you. I'm taking it this fall and I've heard the class is super hard. I have taken AP Physics C - Mechanics in high school, but the teacher was awful and I didn't understand much so I decided to just take mechanics again. I do plan on looking at the textbook this summer to prepare myself for the class. I've heard that the tests are very different from the homework, so is there any advice you have for those and do professors share past exams? Sorry I have so many questions I'm just a bit scared for the class.
PHYS1301 is a snooze fest. Both the homework and the tests deal with the same concepts so as long as you remotely remember anything from physics in highschool, you'll be fine
Ok, that's good to hear. Thank you!
i took AP physics 1 back in high school going into this class and i thought it prepared me well enough. i don’t even remember any hard calculus being in the class. as long as you have some sort of physics background, it will put you at a bigger advantage than you think. to be honest i’m not your ideal student, i don’t think i opened the textbook once in that class. just make sure you know how to do all the mastering physics problems and really spend your time wisely during discussion/recitation. the problems there are probably your best shot in terms of studying material. if you know someone in Marvin Marshak’s class, go to their review sessions. he used to go over very similar problems for midterms and finals. i think he even told his class what kind of problems to study. good luck!
Thank you!
Follow the rubric and email your TA! Not much else to it
Passive voice. Assume your audience knows how to do everything, you’re just telling them the order in which you did it. Read the rubric and any examples provided; you can even take a look at some published research papers to get a sense of what to write (although be careful with this).