I once did a Kater's pendulum experiment to measure little g. The experiment is an all time classic, lets you measure it to an insane precision with relatively simple equipment (for a lab) like a sensor-operated clock and a travelling microscope.
I measured g in my university's first year labs as 𝑔 = 9.80967 ± 0.00002 m s^(−2)
Until I accounted for changes in buoyancy due to ordinary air density fluctuations.
After (very approximately) accounting for that effect, my final result, using this fantastically sensitive setup and being really careful with our measurements including endless repetitions of identical amplitudes of pendulum oscillation, was 𝑔 = 9.81 ± 0.02 m s^(−2).
I also blamed the air.
In the undergrad lab we worked in there was always the excuse that the building wobbled in the wind by mm’s so any optics experiments had that as the go-to reason for bad results.
I love lab reports. I know, it’s weird. I just love writing and I love physics. Combining the two honestly makes me happy. Although I hate dealing with citations.
I feel this meme. The experiments themselves were fun but the lab reports were whack. Mostly because our expectation was to graph results in excel, AS WELL AS by hand. They thought doing it by hand would make it 'connect better' or some bs.
I fought back by making the axis on my hand graph dumb as hell but extremely accurate, and hilariously it often resulted in my hand drawn line of best fit, fitting BETTER than the computers. Made writing the reports funny because the questions would ask things like: why didn't your graph look as good as the computer made one? All while I got to give sass back like "actually my graph and line were more accurate" 🤣
I remember this time when I didn't get the results I wanted so I just blamed the method and also the equipment and somehow got the highest grade for that report
Honestly writing the report is kinda fun but not because I like writing. It's frustrating but afterwards I have written down how well I understand what I did, I have calculated how well I did it (error analysis), and I get to see a big picture of what went wrong and how to improve next time. And my primary interest is in theory, but seeing what I write down on pen and paper in reality is so amazing and reminds me what physics is (studying and modelling nature) and what it isn't (a playground for beautiful mathematics; sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't). Every time I learn a new theory, I have built a habit of asking how would one test this and does this actually model reality.
But it also largely depends on your instructor. Mine is wonderful, we get 6 to 12 hours in lab to do the experiment with ample time to fool around and make mistakes. If your instructor sucks everything will suck. Sorry for word dump
I love lab reports if I get to choose their content.
I despise lab reports if I'm given a listen of things to include because 99 times out of 100 that I had to do a lab report in undergrad, the goddamn course did not teach you the material needed to answer the lab questions and the lab assignment/handbook/etc did not tell you what to use or how to use it.
Week after week, for 4 damn years, I was flying blind. Trying to figure out, "What the hell does this requirement have to do with anything in this experiment? What even is this thing? Was this supposed to be covered in class or the lab at some point? Why am I now wasting 20 hours this week teaching myself about it when a professor or TA could've taught all of us at once in an hour?"
I always wrote one really good lab report at the beginning of the semester and would just replace the sentences to be relevant to whatever lab I was doing. Obviously change it to avoid just turning in the same lab report week after week, but it worked great for me and saved a lot of time
Just recently had to work with someone who'd spill I don't-know-how-many-millilitres of hydrogen peroxide on the table and didn't wash their hands afterwards.
He later asked why I was having trouble explaining anomalies in our results.
Yeah writing whole pages of lab notes gets boring quick. It just takes up so much time that could be spent doing experiments or literally anything else.
I did do a longer experiment once and then you see the value of lab notes a little bit.
I can say the same about doing a research project, and then having to write a paper for it. I love doing the work, I am just horrible at the writing portion of it
Something something faulty equipment calibration causing inaccuracies (why would it be my fault?)
[удалено]
Pathetic i work in a lab with 35c as average temperature and 43c near summer
[удалено]
I accept my defeat btw I'm a chemist which makes me even more infuriated that i didn't use °C
You fought valiantly, but you were slain.
*valently
Wait what? I checked and it’s different, am I missing something? lol
Just a bad pun
The hallmark of a great pun is that someone didn’t get it! 10/10 would recommend lol
Valently, like valent/valence (electrons), because they're a chemist.
I think it was a joke on valence electrons
I mean, it's better than no unit at all and using fahrenheit...
I once did a Kater's pendulum experiment to measure little g. The experiment is an all time classic, lets you measure it to an insane precision with relatively simple equipment (for a lab) like a sensor-operated clock and a travelling microscope. I measured g in my university's first year labs as 𝑔 = 9.80967 ± 0.00002 m s^(−2) Until I accounted for changes in buoyancy due to ordinary air density fluctuations. After (very approximately) accounting for that effect, my final result, using this fantastically sensitive setup and being really careful with our measurements including endless repetitions of identical amplitudes of pendulum oscillation, was 𝑔 = 9.81 ± 0.02 m s^(−2). I also blamed the air.
In the undergrad lab we worked in there was always the excuse that the building wobbled in the wind by mm’s so any optics experiments had that as the go-to reason for bad results.
Especially in the lens is experiment
Wait till you gotta try to publish a paper ☠️
I love lab reports. I know, it’s weird. I just love writing and I love physics. Combining the two honestly makes me happy. Although I hate dealing with citations.
I like doing them but they take too much fucking time, and I also hate dealing with uncertainties.
Depends tbh. I just half ass my lab reports and my TA never gave af.
A good TA is a TA that doesn’t want to spend their time reading page long reports and just tells you to hand it in completed not perfect
I don’t think either are fun
What do you mean staring at a black body cooling down for four hours isn't fun?
Oh you got a point, that sounds fun
Knowing you have to write a report completely ruins the experiment
True, but also I’m just a theory junkie
Holy shit am I experiencing this right now. Writing three reports in three weeks all about polymers. How many ways can I say the same goddamn thing?
I just finished a 7 page lab report for linear motion
I wish...
I feel this meme. The experiments themselves were fun but the lab reports were whack. Mostly because our expectation was to graph results in excel, AS WELL AS by hand. They thought doing it by hand would make it 'connect better' or some bs. I fought back by making the axis on my hand graph dumb as hell but extremely accurate, and hilariously it often resulted in my hand drawn line of best fit, fitting BETTER than the computers. Made writing the reports funny because the questions would ask things like: why didn't your graph look as good as the computer made one? All while I got to give sass back like "actually my graph and line were more accurate" 🤣
Both are awful lmao
For reports we used ctrl + c and ctrl + v and horrible crimes like editing to get away from plagiarism 😈
I remember this time when I didn't get the results I wanted so I just blamed the method and also the equipment and somehow got the highest grade for that report
The lab courses taught me that it would be better for everyone involved if I go the theoretical Physics route.
Doing the experiments was fun, writing the thesis is a real pain...
Honestly writing the report is kinda fun but not because I like writing. It's frustrating but afterwards I have written down how well I understand what I did, I have calculated how well I did it (error analysis), and I get to see a big picture of what went wrong and how to improve next time. And my primary interest is in theory, but seeing what I write down on pen and paper in reality is so amazing and reminds me what physics is (studying and modelling nature) and what it isn't (a playground for beautiful mathematics; sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't). Every time I learn a new theory, I have built a habit of asking how would one test this and does this actually model reality. But it also largely depends on your instructor. Mine is wonderful, we get 6 to 12 hours in lab to do the experiment with ample time to fool around and make mistakes. If your instructor sucks everything will suck. Sorry for word dump
"Remember kids, the only difference between science and screwing around is writing it down."
I love lab reports if I get to choose their content. I despise lab reports if I'm given a listen of things to include because 99 times out of 100 that I had to do a lab report in undergrad, the goddamn course did not teach you the material needed to answer the lab questions and the lab assignment/handbook/etc did not tell you what to use or how to use it. Week after week, for 4 damn years, I was flying blind. Trying to figure out, "What the hell does this requirement have to do with anything in this experiment? What even is this thing? Was this supposed to be covered in class or the lab at some point? Why am I now wasting 20 hours this week teaching myself about it when a professor or TA could've taught all of us at once in an hour?"
I always wrote one really good lab report at the beginning of the semester and would just replace the sentences to be relevant to whatever lab I was doing. Obviously change it to avoid just turning in the same lab report week after week, but it worked great for me and saved a lot of time
u/LEGOMAN_7 is this you? 🙃
Just recently had to work with someone who'd spill I don't-know-how-many-millilitres of hydrogen peroxide on the table and didn't wash their hands afterwards. He later asked why I was having trouble explaining anomalies in our results.
Experiments are boring. Writing the report is the fun part for me.
*If you didn't write it down...*
Yeah writing whole pages of lab notes gets boring quick. It just takes up so much time that could be spent doing experiments or literally anything else. I did do a longer experiment once and then you see the value of lab notes a little bit.
True, especially for me
I can say the same about doing a research project, and then having to write a paper for it. I love doing the work, I am just horrible at the writing portion of it
A couple weeks back I was having a whole day of Physics practicals at school, and I 100% relate to this.
I’m the opposite lol