Physics: write abstract description of experiment

Please read instructions carefully!

From the attached manual and worksheet, write up part 1 & 2.

Part 1:

• Abstract: Briefly describe the experiment. State the main purpose. Basic idea/concept explored. It shouldn’t be any longer than two paragraphs, and can be shorter if you are skilled at being precise. State key results with a conclusion (whether experiment was successful or not.) If there are no numbers here, you are not being specific enough. If there is only a sentence or two stating the results of your measurement you are not really summarizing the report.

Part 2:

Here you answer questions about WHY you did the things you did. Show your understanding here. For example, why did we use the slope of your graph to calculate whatever value? For what purpose was a particular step included in the procedure?

• Describe the aim for the experiment with the physical concept explored. Define/describe the physical concept clearly explaining the laws involved if possible with examples.

• Describe the measurements and the key results with uncertainties and units obtained, and clarify how they help prove the concept explored above. Interpret your graphs and discuss what trends were observed and what the relationship of the variables in your experiment was. Also, answer the questions mentioned in the lab manual (at the end) or points asked by the TA to discuss.

• Discuss whether the results verify the physical concept or not. If not, then why? This is an opportunity to regain some of the points lost in case the experiment went wrong and the results do not verify by listing and explaining the possible mistakes and unexpected sources of errors.