College Physics Laboratory Tips
How to Succeed in a Conceptual, Algebra, or Calculus Based Lab
Aug 23, 2008
Most students will do well in their college or university physics lab class if the attend regularly and apply themselves.
In US colleges and universities nearly all algebra and calculus based physics courses have a laboratory component as do some conceptual physics courses. Because it is more hands on and less abstract, most students find it easier to do well in the lab than the lecture portion of a physics class. Doing well in the lab portion of the course, can help students improve their physics grade.
Here are some tips for doing well in college physics laboratory courses. They also apply to other science lab classes.
Physics Lab Tips
- Attend every lab session. Attendance is even more crucial for lab courses than for lecture courses because they are participatory. Students must attend to do the lab activity or experiment.
- Don't be in a hurry to leave. Lab instructors usually allow students to leave when they have finished the experiment. However some students leave before really finishing. The data should be complete and accurate enough to complete the experimental analysis. Doing the analysis before leaving allows students to repeat any portions of the experiment having questionable data and to easily ask the instructor questions about how to do the analysis.
- Work carefully. Many students in a rush to leave early do the experiment too fast and their data are inaccurate. Understand what data are being taken and why. Take the data carefully enough that they are accurate. Good quality data will make the analysis easier and produce more accurate results. Do not leave without good quality data and most, if not all, the analysis complete.
- Follow directions, both written and oral. Some instructors give extensive oral directions for doing the experiment; some give detailed written directions. Paying attention and following the directions carefully will yield more accurate results. Some lab activities or instructors require students to design the experiments themselves rather than giving detailed directions. Such activities will enhance learning only if students carefully think through the experimental methods.
- Do the lab write-up right away. If possible complete the lab during the lab period, where the instructor is easily available to answer questions. Otherwise do it immediately afterwards when the activity and memory is fresh. Waiting until the night before it is due next week means forgetting crucial details.
- Every instructor has different requirements, so follow the instructor's directions for lab write-ups and formats. For all instructors, write clearly and present data and results neatly. When appropriate use neatly organized tables. Clear precise writing is important in science classes, as well as most other classes.
- Do not rely on lab partners to do all the work. Likewise do not do all the work for lazy lab partners. Working on the lab activity in small groups increases everybody's learning. However it must be a truly collaborative effort with every group member contributing to the best of his or her ability. Noncontributers will not learn from the lab and are wasting their time and everybody else's time.
- Do not disconnect the lab and lecture portions of the course. The lab portion of the course exists to reinforce abstract concepts learned in the lecture portion. Understanding the lab helps students understand difficult concepts from the lecture. Make the connection to increase this understanding.
Following these tips will help improve grades and understanding in both the lab and lecture portions of the course. The increased understanding will help make physics more phun!
Further Reading
Selecting the Right Physics Course
Success in College Physics Classes
The copyright of the article College Physics Laboratory Tips in Physics is owned by Paul A. Heckert. Permission to republish College Physics Laboratory Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
 |
