Physics Lab Guidelines for students at Vandebilt Catholic High School

Labs and activities are the basis for our understanding of the key concepts in physics and are the central component of physics at Vandebilt. Labs and activities are a considerable part of your quarter grade. Therefore it is imperative that you do your best on all labs and activities. To that end, you must be familiar with all the guidelines established for the physics lab. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in lower grade on a particular lab or suspension from laboratory exercises for a period of time.

General Guidelines:

You are responsible for all lab equipment assigned to your table or group. You are expected to take care of our equipment. Some of it is fragile and is expensive to replace, so please handle it with care.
Report any missing, damaged, or malfunctioning equipment to the instructor as soon as you become aware of the problem so that the problem can be remedied. Failure to report problems may cause you to be held unnecessarily responsible for the equipment in question.
Do NOT attempt to repair or make any modifications to the equipment.
Do NOT at any time connect electrical power to any equipment without being instructed to do so.
After the lab is complete, clean up the lab station and arrange the materials in an orderly manner. This is a matter of common courtesy to the instructor and the students in the next lab period, as well as an elementary safety procedure. Part of your grade depends on your care and handling of the laboratory equipment.
Safe lab procedure must be followed at all times during a lab exercise or activity. If you are not sure of the proper procedure ask your instructor before you attempt it.
In addition, all school rules and policies not addressed here still apply.

Lab Make-ups:

If you are absent for a lab, it is your responsibility upon your return to school to ask the instructor if the lab must be made up or if there is an alternative assignment. Failure to schedule a make-up the day you return to school will effect your ability to make-up the lab, thereby greatly effecting the grade you receive for the lab.

If the instructor determines that the lab must be made-up, the make-up procedures established in the syllabus will be followed.

Lab Reports:

In conjunction with each lab some type of lab report will be assigned.

At least twice each quarter a formal lab report will be assigned (To review the format of the formal lab report click here). On other occasions a simplified lab report will be assigned. Details for completing the simplified report will be given at the time it is assigned.

Lab reports are due at the beginning of the class period on the date that the lab report is due. Lab reports will be accepted late, with penalty.

Days Late	Penalty
One day or less	Final lab grade reduced 20%
Two days	Final lab grade reduce 50%
Three or more	Final lab grade = 0

Return to The Laboratory