You will prepare an individual major lab write-up for the first, the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth weeks. An electricity lab practical is your major lab grade for the sixth six weeks.

You must have the following information. Some of this you may "cut-and-paste" from your group's lab on the Internet. You must write each question followed by each answer (or ten point penalty). Remember to include the appropriate units.

1. At the top of your lab, list your name and your class period.
2. Title (one that distinguishes it from other major labs)
3. Purpose (remember - a laboratory investigation answers questions. What question(s) did this lab answer or what did it seek to find or prove?).
4. Materials
5. Procedure - you will write your own procedure describing the steps that you followed to collect data. It must be written in a form such that one can reproduce your experiment by following these steps.
6. Data - Include ALL data collected, usually in tabular form.
7. Analysis of Data - Follow the instructions from the lab information on your disk. If you are asked to graph information, you must use graph paper OR a graphing calculator. If a graphing calculator is used, you must include a labeled sketch with labeled axes (drawn with a ruler) with your regression equation written in the appropriate variables (not x and y). You must show all calculations. If using graph paper is used, you must show your slope calculations. Your axes on your graph must be labeled. If asked to perform (or compare) a percentage error calculation, remember it is found by [(theoretical - experimental)/theorectical] x 100.
8. Questions Include your answers to your questions. You must answer in complete sentences, when appropriate. Write each question followed by each answer.
9. Conclusion - In your conclusion, answer your purpose. Report any results for any variables that you found, with a percentage error (if found).

In some labs, you may be asked to describe systematic and random errors. There are two types of errors:

1. Random - accidental errors
   • Temperature variations
   • Human parallax error (one has to view the scale in direct line, not to the sides of the scale)
   • Vibrations affect multiple readings
   • Air currents affect multiple readings
   • Variations in thicknesses of a surface
2. Systematic - effects each measurement the same way each time; it is a system or instrumental error
   • Reaction time
   • Instrument calibration
   • Instrument parallax error
   • Disregarding friction