Writing Abstracts in Physicspost =1dKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXcate #Rh=1dK L>p: cat @#Rh=1dK L>p: aux 2SURL *http://www.pls.uni.edu/couch/abstracts.htmWriting detailed laboratory reports is a tedious process and involves listing a myriad of details about procedures and results. Due to the large number of investigations that you will be doing in physics, I am afraid that writing a lengthy lab report for each one will cause you to lose sight of the main points of the experiment. Therefore, I have come up with a solution. Abstracts! Going through the steps of writing an abstract will save you time, and hopefully, help you extract the critical information from the investigation.
An abstract is a single paragraph summary of your experiment. It is a highly structured writing exercise for experimental laboratories. Like a paper (or a lab report) it should contain an introduction, methods, results and conclusions.
Every scientific paper, including the ones you will present orally to the class, has an abstract at the beginning to let the reader know enough of what is in the paper to make an informed decision as to whether the paper is worth reading. Abstracts are also printed in reference books where the whole article does not appear, and people sometimes use these to decide whether to send to the author for a copy of the whole article.
By using the method outlined on the following page, you should be able to produce a good abstract in less than an hour. If you haven't clearly and carefully thought through what you did in an experiment, writing the abstract should help you do so. If you have thought about the lab activity, writing the abstract should be easy and fast. It is shorter than a lab report, but includes the most important points.
Parts of the Abstract
I. Title: The title should be short, but descriptive. It should indicate the relationship or question you investigated.
Effect of time spent on homework on student performance in Physics
II. Author(s), date and some sort of address.
K. Couch Breitbach, September 6th, 1996, General Physics, NUHS
III. General topic: Write one sentence describing the general topic to be investigated and why it is important
It has been noted in many research papers that the amount of instructional time and study time devoted to a particular school subject can influence student performance.
IV. Specific Question or Relationship: Write one or two sentences describing the specific question you are addressing or relationship you are investigating with this investigation.
I investigated the effect of time engaged in homework by students on their overall performance in physics.
V. Method: Write one or two sentences describing how you did the investigation. Do not attempt to write a detailed procedure, just give a general idea of how you did it.
Students reported the number of minutes spent doing homework for physics each night. This was added to the number of minutes that each student was constructively engaged in course work during "free" time at the end of the period, as recorded by the instructor.
VI. Results: Write one or two sentences explaining what you found out. Be as specific as possible. State only your main point(s).
There is a direct relationship between the average number of hours/week spent doing homework and the students total points for a given unit of study. The correlation coefficient for this relationship is 0.933.
VII. Conclusions: Write a single sentence that summarizes what you found out about the general topic, question or relationship that you investigated.
Students can effect their performance in physics by controlling the amount of time they spend engaged in homework.
Effect of time spent on homework on student performance in PhysicsK. Couch Breitbach, September 6th, 1996, General Physics, NUHSIt has been noted in many research papers that the amount of instructional time and study time devoted to a particular school subject can influence student performance. I investigated the effect of time engaged in homework by students on their overall performance in physics. Students reported the number of minutes spent doing homework for physics each night. This was added to the number of minutes that each student was constructively engaged in course work during "free" time at the end of the period, as recorded by the instructor. There is a direct relationship between the average number of hours/week spent doing homework and the students total points for a given unit of study. The correlation coefficient for this relationship is 0.933. Students can effect their performance in physics by controlling the amount of time they spend engaged in homework.