BME 194 Winter 2013
Applied Circuits for Engineers
Feedback on lab 2
(Last Update:
00:03 PST 29 January 2013
)
The lab write-ups for the microphone lab were a bit better than for
the thermistor lab (only one redo, and everything else in the B- to
B+ range). Still, no one is quite nailing it.
I repeat the policy from the first feedback: Any student may redo
any lab write-up (except the last one of the quarter), but those who get a
"REDO" must redo them. Students who turned in a
joint report may redo the write-ups individually or together, but
once an individual report has been turned in, then joint reports are
no longer possible. When redoing a lab report, turn in the old,
commented-on report attached to the new one. Don't wait a long time
before redoing reports.
Warning: I have higher expectations for late or redone reports, so
don't make only trivial changes and re-submit—your grade can
go down. Make substantive changes that significantly improve the
quality before resubmitting.
Here were some common problems in the microphone lab write-ups:
- I prefer a style where description of techniques, results, and
discussion all flow naturally and are not separated into widely
different parts of the report. I realize that many biology journals
(including the renowned Journal of Molecular Biology favor
or enforce a style in which Methods, Results, and Discussion are all
separate sections (with Methods often tucked away at the end as an
afterthought). Because this is a common style in biology papers, I
don't deduct for it, but it really is much harder to read than a
report that talks about the results of a test as soon as the test is
described.
- It is a good idea to collect all related data into a single
figure. For this report, having all the current vs. voltage data
for the microphone on a single plot is useful, even though different
measurement methods were used for low voltages and high voltages.
(That is, the multimeter data and the Arduino data should all be on
the same plot, along with the curves that fit them.)
- Circuit lab is capable of exporting vector graphics (in PDF,
EPS, and SVG formats), so there is not much reason to use
screenshots in what you print out.
- Use the correct prepositions for talking about voltage, current,
or resistance. We have voltage between two nodes,
or across a component. We have current into
or out of a node, or through a component.
We have the resistance or impedance of a component.
- Be careful with your use of the subjunctive "would". In
technical writing, this mood is generally only used for "contrary to
fact" hypotheses, though it has other uses in general writing. For
example, "the sound would be picked up by the microphone" implies
that it was not picked up, because something was preventing it. I
always want to see a reason: "the sound would be picked up, but
there is an inch of lead keeping the microphone diaphragm from moving".
Never is "would be" just a formal form of "was". If you don't know
how to use "would" correctly, then never use it—that is safer
than using it wrong and won't cramp your style much.
- "Data" is not calibrated—devices are. Data can be
measured, recorded, or analyzed, and the result of all that can be
the calibration of a device or system (though most often data is
collected for some other purpose).
- Don't use a colon between a verb and its object. The colon is
normally used between a noun phrase and a restatement of the noun phrase.
A common noun phrase before a colon is "the
following"—consider the following: thing one, thing two, and
thing three. This usage is so common that a lot of people try to
put colons before every list, which is simply wrong. Note that
having the list displayed as bullet points doesn't change any of the
punctuation rules. There are no colons unless you are
separating a noun phrase from its restatement.
OK: ... include the following: a resistor, a capacitor, and a transistor.
No colon: ... include a resistor, a capacitor, and a transistor.
Questions about page content should be directed to
Kevin Karplus
Biomolecular Engineering
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
USA
karplus@soe.ucsc.edu
1-831-459-4250
318 Physical Sciences Building