ME330 TECHNICAL REPORT
This semester the ME330 technical report will be written on the Strain Gage Measurements Lab.
The first draft of the report will be due at the beginning of your lab section on March 31. Your
T.A. will mark the first draft and return it to you at your lab one week later. The marked first draft
and the final draft will be due at your lab time on April 14. You may work with you lab partner on
data tables, calculations, and equipment sketches only. The remainder of the report is to be your
work and your writing.
I. Contents of Report
A. Title Page. Contains title, who wrote the report, when the report was submitted, to whom the report
was submitted. Also, the location where the experiment was conducted and the date and time that it
was conducted.
B. Abstract. The abstract summarizes the report and should be no longer than 200 words. The abstract
should contain information that is as specific as possible. For example, when describing results,
summarize them in quantitative form. Write the abstract last.
1. States objectives
2. Summarizes your approach
3. Summarizes the results
C. Objectives.
D. Methods. The purpose of this section is to describe your test procedure and the equipment that you
used.
1. If your experiment has governing equations then include the equations. Provide a textual
discussion of what the equations model and what assumptions and limitations apply.
2. What results do you expect? Does your expectation come from a model, from reference
material, or from a preliminary experiment? Refer to example calculations in the appendix if
applicable.
3. Describe your complete test plan. What did you measure? What parameters did you vary?
How many replicates were conducted? How did you analyze your data? What statistical
methods were employed? Describe your apparatus. This includes identifying each
component, explaining the function of each component, and discussing the location of each
measurement point. Refer to details in the appendix (for example – wiring diagrams).
E. Results. The purpose of this section is to communicate the results of the experiment.
1. Presents results with graphs and/or tables.
2. Explains the significant features of each graph and/or table (observations).
3. Provides information on the uncertainty associated with the results.
F. Discussion. The purpose of this section is to explain the results as well as their significance
(interpretations and insights).
1. Uses knowledge of engineering science to explain why certain quantities increase or
decrease.
2. Draws conclusions from the results. For example, you may note merits and limitations of a
particular approach.
3. Discusses relevance of experimental uncertainty in drawing conclusions.
