Student Laboratory Handbook

This online Student Laboratory Handbook provides readings that are essential to your growth as a scientific experimentalist. It is most appropriate for all science students, majors and non-majors alike, to become familiar with the knowledge base provided in these readings. Students will benefit from reading these articles prior to beginning lab experiences. A knowledge of this information is crucial for completing lab reports accurately. Most readings are only 1 to 2 pages in length and have been written at the high school level. All files are "portable document format" (PDF). All Student Lab Handbook articles were written between 2004-2014 by Carl J. Wenning, Ed.D., Physics Teacher Education Program Coordinator 1994-2008.

Graphing:

• Common Graph Forms in Physics
• Deriving Relationships from Graphs
• Graphs and Units of Slope and Y-intercept
• Examples of Common Graph Errors
• How Many Data Points are Enough?
• Interpreting Slopes, Areas, and Intercepts of Graphs
• Finding Displacement of a Uniformly Accelerated Object
• Physical Interpretations and Graphical Analysis
• Preparing Graphs

Math:

• Absolute and Relative Error
• Chi-Square Test for Goodness of Fit
• Conversion Factors
• Dimensional Analysis
• Errors, Accuracy, and Precision
• Error Propagation
• Percent Difference and Percent Error
• Scientific Notation
• Significant Figures
• Uncertainty in Measurement
• The Importance of Units
• Working with Units
• Meany Means

Experimentation:

• Generic Experimental Design
• Glossary of Technical Terms and Concepts
• Lab Expectations and Policies
• Lab Goals (Position Statement of AAPT)
• Scientific Values

Equipment:

• Quick Reference Guide for DataStudio
• Quick Reference Guide for Graphical Analysis

Last updated October 4, 2014

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