General
The IB program requires that 24% of our class time we spend doing some things related
to practical work. The laboratory work will consist of a variety of activities, most will
require the entire double period; some will take a few days to complete. For some
experiments complete instructions will be given; for others you will have to plan part or
all of the experiment yourself. Usually, you will be working in a group of 2-3 people, but,
occasionally you will be on your own. For most experiments you will write complete
reports. Some reports may involve only collection and analysis of data and writing of a
brief conclusion. You will always be told what is expected of you for each experiment.
Laboratory Notebooks
Your lab book is where the raw data is recorded at the time of the experiment. Your
report will then be written up using Microsoft Word and submitted on the due date.
1. Experiment #, the date, and title of the experiment (this is required for every
experiment).
2. Aim: a short (one to two sentences) statement of the purpose of the experiment,
preferably written in your own words. (this is required for every experiment)
3. Introduction: this section should always begin with a clearly stated Research
Question. The Research Question should not just be a repeat of the general problem
provided by the teacher. Rather, the Research Question should indicate what specific
aspect of the general problem you will be investigating.
Example
Poor research question: What factors affect rates of reaction?
Better research question: Are heterogeneous catalysts as effective as homogeneous
catalysts in the decomposition of 6 % hydrogen peroxide?
The next step is to provide the Background to the problem you are trying to solve.
Specifically, this is the theory one should know to understand the experiment. The
Background will also lead to, or justify a prediction of what you think will happen in the
experiment, and it is called the hypothesis: a testable statement about what you think is
going to happen when you measure one variable and you change another.
This leads to the last part of an Introduction. You need to specifically mention the
variables that you will hold fixed and the variables that you will change and measure
(both independent and dependent – i.e the same ones from your hypothesis).
4. Procedure: this section provides an outline of how you intend to carry out the
experiment. It may take some practice before you will be comfortable as to what details
to include. The most important details are things like mass, volume, and concentrations of
chemicals and solutions, the type of glassware and equipment used, and any safety
precautions. These details not only provide relevant experimental information but also
show how you are keeping certain variables fixed, while changing others. Where
appropriate, it is important to outline why one approach is taken versus another. Keep in
mind to mention clearly what specific data will be recorded and how often the
measurements will be replicated. Write the procedure so that you, or someone else with
some science background, could perform the experiment.
The IB calls the sections 3 an 4 of the report Design.
5. Data and Observations: record all relevant data and observations. Report any changes
in procedure or unusual conditions. All numerical data, tables, and graphs should be
clearly identified and labeled. You should record all observed data – not just calculated
results. Correct units and significant figures must be used for all data. In addition, you
should indicate the level of uncertainty for each measurement. Also note that
experimental observations or details are both qualitative and quantitative.
6. Results and Calculations: results are different than data. Results are what happens to
the data after you do a calculation or plot a graph. They are what ‘results’ after you
manipulate the data. Your presentation of the results might be in the form of a table, a
graph, or maybe a chart. How you present the results will depend on the experiment –
these are part of the skills that you are required to learn. All tables, graphs etc should be
clearly identified and labeled. Furthermore it is necessary to show how you manipulated
the data i.e what sort of calculations did you do. It is also important to calculate and
present the percent uncertainty for each of the measurements made. A brief explanation
of what you are doing at each stage of the calculation is just as important as the
calculation itself. Finally, where several similar calculations are needed, show one
example and give the results of the others.
The IB call the section 5 and 6 of the report Data Collection and Processing .
7. Conclusion and Discussion: This is the section where you draw conclusions about the
experiment as it relates to your aim and hypothesis. Any calculated results should be
compared to values from the literature (i.e. accepted values from professional
laboratories) where possible. This section should include a discussion of errors, as well as
a consideration of the limitations of the experiment and suggestions for improvement.