#Title of Lab Report

#Authors, in alphabetical order by last name

#Course, #Teacher, #Date
#Give a very brief summary of what you found out, how you found it out, and why
its important. This is called the abstract. It should be around 100-300 words
long. Even though its at the start, its the last thing you should write.

Purpose
#Write the purpose of the lab. This is often built around a question - either one that has been
assigned by your teacher, or (even better) one that you have come up with on your own.

Theoretical Background
#Write the concepts that you are going to use to answer your question. Often, these will be
concepts from the course. For example, elements can be identified using a gas discharge
tube by examining their emission spectra, or the number of particles in a sample can be
calculated from its mass using molar mass conversions, or Newtons second law, F=ma,
states that the rate of change of a bodys momentum is equal to the net force applied on it or
given two (distinct) points, we can always find a line that goes through those two points.
You might also want to do some research. For example, you might find, by reading some
reputable website, that the percent yield for a particular reaction is 65%. You can use that
information to make a better hypothesis, as long as you write it in this section first and cite
your source either in brackets or in a footnote.

Hypothesis
#This is NOT just a random guess. It is your prediction of the experiments results based on
your theoretical background. Often this is the part of the experiment where you will do the
most mathematics. (In higher level science, the actual experiment (especially the statistical
part, which your computer will do for you) is designed to try to prove the hypothesis wrong. If
the experiment fails to prove the hypothesis wrong, then you have produced some evidence in
favour of your theory. You dont know enough about statistics yet to do this, so for now, well
just compare our results to our hypothesis and see if they match up).
By the way, if you want to insert an equation, go Insert Equation.

Materials
Laboratory Equipment
#list your things here
#hit enter to add more bullets for the list

Chemical Supplies
#list your things here
#hit enter to add more bullets for the list
#if it is non-obvious, describe the state of the chemicals (gas, powder, solid, solution,
etc.)
#enter the amount of each chemical used, and the concentrations for solutions.

Procedure
#Write this in paragraph form (not recipe form!), in past tense. Be very specific, but concise.
Dont forget to write details such as the temperature and pressure at which any reactions
occurred.
Be especially specific about how you took your measurements. i.e. we calculated the mass of
the iron that was consumed by drying the nail and then subtracting its mass after the
experiment from its mass before the experiment. State which measuring tool you used, and
make sure you are using it to get the appropriate level of precision.
Adding photographs of your experiment is a bonus! (Please make sure your face is not in
them). You can do this by choosing Insert Image.

Observations and Data

#First, use words to describe what happened. Then, place numerical data in tables. The tools
for formatting tables are in the Table menu. I have placed a sample one below.
trial #

mass of Fe consumed

mass of FeSO4 produced

(mass FeSO4) / (mass

Fe)

16.42 g

44.25 g

2.695

45.14 g

120.85 g

2.677

34.21 g

91.49 g

2.674

24.90 g

66.47 g

2.669

Having multiple trials gives you more confidence in your data.

If your data is the kind of data that it makes sense to graph, you can do this really easily by
making a Google spreadsheet, cutting and pasting your table into it, and choosing Insert
Chart. I will show you how to do this.

Conclusions
#State whether your experimental results agree or disagree with your hypothesis, and why.
State your sources of error. Remember: a good scientists states sources of error, but a
better scientist finds a way of minimizing error. State what you would do differently next
time. Finish with the so what of the experiment: what could this technique or result be useful
for?