IV. Theory:Necessary equations and background for the lab. It “brings up to speed” the reader
on concepts that will be investigated. It is also helpful to you, when you review the labs in
preparation for the AP Chemistry Exam, to have a short background to the material in your
own words.
V. Procedure:It is not necessary to copy the procedure from the lab manual. Such work is
“busy work” and accomplishes nothing but taking up room in the notebook. Instead, you may
simply say, “Refer to... ” and list the lab in standard bibliographic style.
VI. Results: Before you write the results down, think how you will organize them. Tables of in-
formation are the best way to present data. Label the tables and indicate parts or section numbers
that correspond to the procedures in the lab manual. You may include graphs in this section. In
graphing, try to use a commercial graphing program to construct your graphs. Excel™and
Cricket Graph™are examples of programs that make nice presentations of data. Also, try to use
more advanced features of these programs such as “best fit”, correlation, regression, slope, and
so on.
VII. Calculations:Present the calculations necessary to answer the questions in the lab man-
ual. Be sure to rewrite the question so that the reader understands what is being done. If possi-
ble, begin with the generic equation followed by substitution of the actual data. Including any
or all equations, if necessary for the question, is essential. Do not leave it up to the reader to
figure out the equation(s).
VIII. Conclusions and/or Post-lab: Summarize in a paragraph what the laboratory data
showed. Include percent error(s) if possible. This is also a good area to include any statistical
work comparing your work with class averages or expected/theoretical results. Some laboratory
manuals include Post-Lab questions, which would be included here.
Part III: AP Chemistry Laboratory Experiments