ES 205 Lab 4 Page 1 of 10

Lab 4 — Technical report writing

Agenda

Time Item

5 min Lab introduction

20 min Organizing a technical report

20 min Activity – Organizing a technical report

15 min Formatting a technical report

100 min Getting started on your technical report

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 2 of 10

Organizing a technical report

Organization of a technical report: • Introduction

• Experimental system

• System model

• Experimental procedure

• Data

• Method of analysis

• Results and discussion

• Conclusions

1. Introduction:

• State the goal and briefly describe what you have done to achieve this goal.

• An outline of your report is not necessary.

[2 min] Individually: List what you did in this experiment. Any part. All parts.

[3 min] As a team: Complete the following phrases:

“The goal of this experiment is …” “To achieve this goal, we did the following:”

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 3 of 10

2. Experimental system:

• Describe the key components of the experimental apparatus and how they work

together.

• Provide a schematic of the apparatus. A photograph is not a schematic.

NOT a schematic of my motorbike A schematic of my motorbike

[3 min] As a team: Answer the following questions:

What are the key components of the

experimental apparatus?

How do the components work together?

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 4 of 10

3. System model:

• Present the DE model (or models) of the apparatus being analyzed.

• State your assumptions and explain where the DE model comes from (i.e., describe the

derivation and the principles applied).

• Include any relevant diagrams for developing the DE model (a modeling schematic, a

kinetic diagram and a free-body diagram, etc.).

4. Experimental procedure:

• Describe the process of data collection in enough (but not too much) detail so that the

procedure is clear and reproducible.

• Do not treat this section as a “step-by-step instruction manual.”

5. Data:

• Present the data in a clear, concise, and convenient form.

• Remember: data is collected information.

6. Method of analysis:

• Describe, using technical language and mathematics, how the data are manipulated to

obtain results.

• Remember: results are calculated from data, which is collected.

7. Results and discussion:

• Compare and discuss the model responses and data.

• Discuss important inferences and conclusions based on the comparison of model to data.

8. Conclusions:

• Discuss whether the goal stated in the Introduction has been achieved.

• Summarize key results that provide evidence of the goal having been achieved.

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 5 of 10

Activity – Organizing a technical report

Overview: The inductance � and capacitance � of a RLC circuit are estimated from data of the step

input voltage response of the voltage across the capacitor. The resistance � is known.

[10 min] As a team: Identify the section where each technical report element belongs and explain

why you made this choice.

Inductance (H) Capacitance (�F)

1 100

Section: __________________________

Why?

Section: __________________________

Why?

�� = 1��

Section: __________________________

Why?

Section: __________________________

Why?

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 6 of 10

Natural frequency, �� (rad/s) Damping ratio, �

100 0.09

Section: __________________________

Why?

Section: __________________________

Why?

��� � + ����� + �� = ���

Section: __________________________

Why?

Section: __________________________

Why?

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.30

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Time (s)

Cap

acit

or

vo

ltage (

V)

Model

Data

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.30

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Time (s)

Capaci

tor

vo

ltag

e (V

)

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 7 of 10

First peak value, ��� (V)

Second peak

value, ��� (V)

3.3 2.7

Section: __________________________

Why?

Section: __________________________

Why?

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 8 of 10

Formatting a technical report

☐ Figures and tables:

Bad figure Good figure

Figure 1. Voltage vs. time. Figure 1. Comparing the model response of a RLC

circuit to data for a step input voltage.

Bad table Good table

Table 1. �� and �.

Table 1. Standard form parameters calculated

from the data.

�� �

99.128964587 0.089741264

Natural frequency, �� (rad/s) Damping ratio, �

99.13 0.0897

• Each figure/table appears just after the paragraph in which it is referred to for the first time.

• Observations are discussed and inferences are made after the figure/table appears (if possible).

• Every figure and table is discussed, generally independent of other figures and tables.

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.30

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Time (s)

Capac

itor

vo

ltag

e (V

)

Model

Data

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 9 of 10

☐ Equations:

Bad equation Good equation

y(t) = y0 + v0y*t – 1/2*g*t^2 ���� = �� + ���� � 12���

• Use Equation Editor in MS Word: Insert tab >

• Equations are usually centered.

• Equations are numbered with an equation number that is right-justified and enclosed in

parentheses:

Insert your equation here. Include enough space above and below. Erase the borders. (1)

• Refer to an equation using the format “Eq. (#)” or just “(#)”.

ES 205 Lab 4 Page 10 of 10

Getting started on your technical report

☐ As a team, create an outline for the Results and Discussion section:

• Write the list of topics that have to be written about to develop this section.

• Reach a consensus on the complete list of topics required for this section to be complete.

• Arrange the topics in a logical order.

• Start forming paragraphs by writing the topic sentences for these paragraphs.

• Decide what evidence goes where. Make notes as to what equations, figures, tables, or cited

values are needed to support the assertion made in the topic sentences.

☐ Repeat this process for the other report sections.

☐ When finished will all report sections, assign each section to a writer.

A report template is available on the course website.

Complete and modify the provided Method of Analysis section to fit your technical report.

If there is anything you don’t understand, ask me for help.

Submit an electronic version (.docx) by email no later than 5:30 pm on April 11, 2014.

Use the following file naming format: yourTeamName-report.docx

Also submit a printed copy in my mailbox no later than 5:30 pm on April 11.