STeffen Disbergen

Steffen Disbergen

Mat Wenzel

ENC 2135 - 142

April 18, 2017

 

Lab Reports

 

    Scientific research is what allows technology and humanity to progress. It is a rigorous process with many steps and components. One of the most important aspects of experimentation and research is the lab report. This piece of text is the cornerstone of the FSU chemistry community and acts as a universal translation of the work being done with extensive explanation to allow replication and understanding of the findings and results. Due to my course path as a chemical engineering major, I have to take many labs which have corresponding lab reports in the class. I chose to research this genre to better understand the process of writing lab reports, enhance my grades on them, and preparing for my future as a chemical engineer by becoming an expert on the genre.  

    Lab reports have a major impact on the research done in the chemistry department and, in turn, have a large impact on me. One of the main reasons I became a chemical engineering major is to eventually do research with solar panels to improve their efficiency and performance. Therefore, there will be plenty of lab reports in my future, and being able to complete them professionally and properly now would be a major asset. 

    Lab reports are texts used to communicate discoveries made during research. They include extensive details about the procedure of the experiments completed, the data collected from the experiments, and the results from the experiment. The lab reports also include a purpose of the experiment detailing what exactly is being found, why it is important, and how it is being done. This is followed by a conclusion that explains whether the experiment was a success or not, what was discovered, and what it means. 

These are laborious reports that students first encounter in the chemistry department during their first chemistry course in their accompanied lab. I have personally written twenty-four lab reports, spending countless hours perfecting the art. The topic is mastered through repetition, repetition, repetition. Initially, everyone’s grades on their lab reports are ridiculously low, my first being a thirty-two percent! Slowly as the process is learned and material is taught, they become easier to understand and grades slowly rise. The pain students go through is beneficial because the errors in the lab reports result in low grades, in turn, incentivizing students to learn how to properly create one. Because of all the benefits lab reports provide. One of these huge benefits is the ability for replication of experiments. Replication is another vital part of scientific discovery because it gives credibility to research and experiments by allowing other parties to complete them. If the results are the same, the probability of error is significantly reduced and the data is supported, therefore making it more precise and reliable.

    Learning how to write a lab report takes a lot of time and there is a huge learning curve. The main errors made consistently in the beginning are those relating to the proper formatting. It takes a while to learn which information goes where. For instance, the two separate but similar, categories, data and calculations, take a long time to differentiate what information belongs to each section (ex: graphs go in calculations not data, this took me many failed attempts to finally adjust). 

    A great way to improve lab reports is to compare one, with a low grade, to another ideal lab report. For my research I compared my lab report for the third lab “Under Pressure” which received an eighty-nine percent to peer’s who scored a ninety-eight percent. In comparing the two, the main differences can be used to identify why his grade was higher and what mistakes I made. 

    In my lab report I explained the purpose in one hundred and sixty words, all in one paragraph. I wrote what is being achieved and that the experiment was being done to “test and calculate the heat of vaporization of water and various concentrations of ethanol.”(Disbergen) I then explained that a special apparatus would be used to determine the heat of vaporization and a statement for determining if the experiment was done properly: “test and calculate the heat of vaporization of water and various concentrations of ethanol.” If the heat of vaporization can be found then the experiment is a success, if not it is a failure,”(Disbergen.

    In Jon Albo’s experiment, the peer whose lab report I will be comparing mine to, the purpose was six hundred and sixty words, significantly more than mine. This allowed him to go into much more depth and detail on the same topics I went over. He explained what the heat of vaporization was “a measure of the energy in kilo joules per mole of heat needed to vaporize a liquid or a solution at a particular temperature and pressure,” (Albo), the various equations that will be used in the calculations, and described the complexities behind what causes a change in vaporization points and how they differentiate between each molecule. “Intermolecular forces are the non-binding interactions felt by molecules … strongest of all intermolecular forces,”  (Albo). These are all things that my purpose was missing. 

    The procedures, data, and calculations were both very similar containing identical information and receiving identical grades. The purpose is just a citation of the lab manual for the specific lab. The data contained all the individual tables of the measured temperature, pressure, and temperature for the various mixtures (Water and 25%/50%/75%/100% Ethanol). The data then shows the results from the calculations and the theoretical and experimental values. Finally, the percent error which shows the deviation from the theoretical values and how erroneous the lab was. Every table has an explanation of the data it contains and how it is used. 

    The calculation section is very similar to data. It includes every single equation used, for this experiment there were very few besides basic conversions. The only major equations used were the Clausius-Clapeyron equation and Raoult’s Law. All the variables are defined and an example is given for each. The section also includes all graphs and a corresponding explanation for each, and what they represent. Because Jon’s and mine were so similar and matched the desired criteria, we got full credit for these sections and the difference in our grades came from the purpose and the next section, the conclusion.

    When you reach the conclusion of a lab it is very bitter-sweet. The sweet part stems from the fact that you are nearly finished and you will soon be released from the misery of this report, but extremely bitter because it is the longest part and requires the most amount of information and attention to detail. This is also the biggest point of divergence from an exemplary lab report like Jon’s and mine. Often times I rush through this section because I am so eager to finish that I do not include all the necessary standards and suffer a large point penalty. It is ironic that the I spend the least amount of time on the most important section, and it shows.

    My conclusion for this lab contained three hundred words. Jon’s had over a thousand! I only included the data from the experiment/calculations, an explanation of what the data represents, and whether or not the experiment was a success. The data included was the heat of vaporizations of the various solutions and the comparison between the theoretical and experimental results. The experimental data was very different from the theoretical indicating error, this was also included in the conclusion and an explanation of what could have caused the error. Sources of ranged from the apparatus used to flaws in the procedure. The problem with the apparatus was that it included a plunger that needed to be held at a constant volume against a vacuum for several minutes which is very difficult to maintain.

    Jon’s conclusion included a restatement of the goal “to calculate the Heat of Vaporization of Ethanol in different solutions using the combined gas law and the Clausius-Clapeyron Equation to find the unknown variables that were needed,” (Albo). A major aspect that was missing from mine. Next he discussed how the equations were used and a brief explanation of each, a thorough description of his results from the experiment and why/what it represented. This area was much more in depth than mine, a large reason his report received a better grade in this section and was better example of what to follow. 

    Looking at the two lab reports, side by side, it is easy to see how much more time and effort went into Jon’s. The lack of commitment to my lab reports is what results in poorer grades, but is understandable as it is just a one credit hour class that consumes upwards of ten hours a week (six for the lab report, three for the lab, and one for the pre-lab). Regardless, it is a great learning experience and a necessary trial/challenge to go through in the Chemistry department especially since it will be such a large part of the rest of my life. 

Texts are extremely crucial in the FSU Chemistry Department and the scientific community in general. The lab reports discussed and compared are a vital piece of the FSU Chemistry community because it provides a strong learning foundation for students in the community. This leads to growth in understanding and proficiency for lab reports. Again, lab reports are the catalysts for scientific research and discovery, essential to progression in technology. Comparing and contrasting the two lab reports was an informative exercise that allowed recognition of error and demonstration of right versus wrong. Lab reports are often compared in the department and community its self to analyze similarities in results and determine trends and conclusions. This and replication are like bread and butter for confirming research. As a member of this community, lab reports will continue to follow me into my career and I will become very familiar with them, even more than I already am, and even depend on their performance for not just a grade but for my living and profession. Many people agree that composing lab reports as an undergrad is a vexing task, especially due to its low weight (most labs are one credit hour, barely having an effect on GPA), but appreciate its significance. Students persevere through the struggle and commit more hours than they should, all because of the gravity of these lab reports.