Laboratory Procedures
General and Attendance
You must attend all sessions. If for some reason you must miss your regularly scheduled lab session, it is your responsibility to inform your lab partners and lab instructor as soon as possible before the lab begins. You are also responsible for joining one of the other lab groups to conduct that experiment. Arrive on time and don't leave early unless the lab exercise is complete. Be prepared - read the laboratory memo in advance and have a good idea about what you will need to do. You may be asked questions about the laboratory exercise as soon as you walk into lab.
Notebooks
You must maintain a laboratory notebook. Obtain the 'duplicating' type that has alternating white and yellow pages, and carbon paper. Record everything - notes, calculations, sketches, etc. Write in black pen. Do not leave blank pages or spaces. Never 'go back' to fill in missing data. If necessary, prints and printouts can be taped into the notebook.
Hand in the yellow carbon copies with your weekly lab reports. All statements and conclusions in your report must be based on data that can be found in your notebook. The notebooks will be checked and will factor into grading.
To view an example of what is included in a lab notebook, see the lab notes below.
Lab Notes (
PDF) (Courtesy of Heather Coffin. Used with permission.)
Preparation
Read over the lab description well in advance of your scheduled lab session. Some of the lab write-ups ask you to address specific questions in advance. Prior to the lab, write up in your notebook a protocol of what you will be doing in the lab. This should include (but not necessarily be limited to):
- statement of objective.
- outline of what is to be done in the lab.
- any calculations, sketches, etc. that are either requested or appropriate.
Hand in the carbon copy of your protocol at the beginning of the lab session.
Lab Reports
Laboratory reports should be individual efforts. You will share the data that you collect as a group, but the organization, interpretation, and presentation of that data in the report should be your own. This includes the preparation of graphs. Likewise, photographic negatives will be common to the group, but each individual should make their own prints for inclusion in their report. Hand in the carbon copy of your lab notes with the lab report.
Reports are due one week following the day on which you performed the lab (usually at your next lab session). They must be turned in on time or you will lose points.
Laboratory Rules and Etiquette
Report broken items immediately. If something is broken or running low, tell us. We will have the item repaired or restocked promptly.
Keep the lab clean and organized. Both the lab and the darkroom are shared by many students from both 6.163 and other activities. Clean up any mess you make in your experiments, put things back where you found them, and leave the lab cleaner than when you found it.
Laboratory Assignments
The lab assignments for the course are listed below.
Practical Exercise (PDF)