In this lab, essentially, we were studying the question; How does the structure and properties of materials affect their ability to absorb and transmit heat? How do we apply these understandings to maximize our ability to survive and thrive in the cold? We did this by building snow forts of different thicknesses so test their insulate properties. We all worked together to form a question we were testing, a hypothesis, an abstract section, an introduction, the materials and methods we used, the results and a discussion of our experiment. In this lab, I played a large role as the leader keeping us all on task as well as writing the report. I was one of the test subjects to be in the snow fort and to make sure that the correct temperature and times were recorded. I could not have been able to do it in the time I had if it hadn't been for everyone playing their part in this experiment. Lab Report Requirements:
Title
Abstract The abstract is a one to two paragraph summary of the entire lab report. It should be the last section written. It should briefly describe the motivation for the research, question being investigated, methodology, results and implications of the results.
Introduction - Explain why you are doing this and where your inspiration comes from! The goal of this section is to introduce the topic of the experiment. You should state what you are trying to find out from the experimental investigation, or why you are doing the experiment. This section should include any relevant information that will guide your experimental design or analysis and describe the expected results and outcomes of your experiment.
Question and Hypothesis: Clearly state these in proper form, keep it simple and concise. If the (independent variable) affects the (dependent variable) then (what you predict will happen) because (your reasoning).
Methods & Materials The goal of this section is to provide the reader with sufficient information so that they could replicate your experiment. When describing the experimental design write a few paragraphs that clearly describe what you did. The design of the experiment including the variables, control and replicates all should clearly be described.
Results In this section you should display and summarize all of the relevant numerical (quantitative) and descriptive (qualitative) data and observations from your experiment. The data can be displayed in tables, figures (charts and graphs), images or in text. In this section you should summarize trends in the data, and also explain any issues with obtaining your results and suggest potential sources of error.
Discussion The overall purpose of the discussion is to explain what the results from the experiment are, describe how confident you are in the results and discuss the significance of the results in regards to your hypothesis.
Bibliography Include any relevant sources that you referenced in the summary