E80 Spring 2016

Team Assignments

At your first laboratory meeting (see laboratory schedule), your instructor will assign a number to each team (e.g. Team 1, 2, 3, etc.). These assignments will be made using whatever method your instructor desires, and the nominal team size is four (4) or five (5) members. You will also be assigned to sub-teams for some of the experiments. Team assignments will be for the duration of the course.

One of the first tasks for the team should be to assign a team leader for each of the experiments. In this way, the team leader knows which experiment she or he will guide and should be responsible for completing all of the necessary pre-lab to ensure a successful experience for the team. In addition, the team leader will be the recorder during the experiment for which they are leader. Be sure to divide leadership responsibilities evenly based on the number of experiments and team members. Finally, for each lab report, the team leader’s name must be clearly marked.

Safety

Please follow all posted listings and safety guidelines. When in doubt, ask someone who knows. Do not be cavalier with your or anyone else’s safety. Repeated violation of safety procedures will result in involuntary withdrawal from class.

Be aware of the following

1. The best way out of an area where you are working.
2. The nearest fire extinguisher.
3. The main power shut-off.
4. The nearest fire blanket and first aid kit.
5. The nearest phone and procedure for calling for medical and fire aid.
6. The nearest shower for washing body and face of corrosive materials.

• Long pants, shirts, and closed-toe shoes (no sandals or flip-flops) are a requirement to enter the laboratory space. Please do not wear shorts, short pants, or sandals. All students not in compliance with the dress code will be refused entry. Long pants, shirts, and closed-toe shoes are also required for the field experiences.
• Adhesives other than white glue and spray paint must be used in areas with approved ventilation. Safety glasses are recommended, and neoprene gloves are required for some adhesives.
• Use standard shop safety protocols when using shop tools.
• No food or drink or any other consumables in the laboratory. If you need a drink or a snack, exit the lab, wash your hands, consume your drink or snack outside the lab, wash your hands yet again, and then return.
• Please exercise good common sense at all times.

Seeking Assistance

The instructors and proctors are available to assist you in understanding your labs. Don't struggle with non-functional equipment or confusing procedures. Ask for help. However, you still have the primary responsibility to determine what information you require to complete the experimental tasks and objectives. In doing so, you are encouraged to use any materials inside or outside the laboratory (e.g. library texts, vendor manuals, web searches, etc.), discussions with other students enrolled in E80, students having already taken the course, and especially instructors and proctors. However, you are asked not to view or use, directly or indirectly, present or past write-ups from other student teams.

We are not trying to deliberately confuse you or leave things out (however, see the course objectives and the Helpful Hints below). If you find confusing, ambiguous, or poorly-worded instructions, let us know, and we'll do our best to edit it for future students.

Helpful Hints

The relationship between classroom theory (and equations) and accurate experimental observations is subtle and fascinating. E80 has been structured to guide you to the course objectives, but we cannot force you to learn and understand. In the early experiments, you are given the pieces to understand what is going on, and then led to unexpected observations. Your task is to put the pieces together and explain what is going on. In the later experiments, you are often given the measurement objectives, but not details of the methods to get the measurements. Your task is to decide how best to make the measurements needed for the objectives.

It's analogous to you being given a clean well-stocked kitchen, instructions in cooking techniques and nutrition, and then asking you to make a nutritious and tasty dinner. Those who are used to following strict recipes will feel an initial sense of disorientation, but you should be whipping up a gourmet dinner out of leftovers in the fridge before you're finished. Think Iron Chef.

Here's a few techniques:

• Make good use of your team. In the B.E.M. experiments after you model the circuits by hand, the circuits can all be simulated in Multisim. It's not required, but will undoubtedly help both your understanding and your grade. Perhaps one team member could be in the ECF while the other one is breadboarding and doing analytical calculations. In the later experiments, perhaps the team members could be assigned to view different parts of the apparatus or data stream, or someone could work on software, modeling, or analysis while the rest of the team does the experiment.
• Don't feel limited by the steps in the lab description. If something prompts your curiosity, go ahead and explore it. Always be looking for what-ifs and why-does-that-do-thats, and be sure to include them in the write up.
• Think about why you are doing each lab. What are the objectives? How do the results relate to the rocket? Where did you learn about it before?
• Plot data when possible. Always label axes and include units. Look for trends. Is there a theoretical fit? Would an empirical fit work?
• Relax and have fun. Everyone of us who is an experimentalist has had days when everything seemed to go wrong. Take a few deep breaths and start back from what you do know.
• Learn to systematically troubleshoot. Before you use an op-amp in an unknown circuit, test it in a known circuit to make sure it works. Don't just trust the color code on a resistor, test it with an ohmmeter. Check to make sure you're getting power to the places you think you are. Trace things from the known to the unknown. For example, in a series of black boxes don't just look at the output of the last one and guess why the series isn't working. Is there power to the first box? Is the input to the first box what you expect? Is the output signal from the first box what you expect? If the gozintas are correct and the gozouta is wrong, you know where the problem is. Once that box works, move on to the next one. LabVIEW especially lends itself to testing that each step along the way works.

Laboratory Report Guidelines

Laboratory reports are created by the team as a whole, not just individual team members.

The report should be time stamped (This practice is invaluable when preparing patents). Microsoft Word has an Insert Data and Time feature that you can use. It must be submitted to the appropriate Assignment folder on Sakai by 4:15 PM during your afternoon lab session. The First Launch can be submitted by 5 PM because there is no network connectivity in the Gravel Pit.

A suggested outline for a typical lab report is listed below. Depending on the order of steps in an experiment, you may need to select a different format, however, the outline is provided as a general example of good practice.

• Title
  
• Team Number, Team Members, Section, Date and Time (These are mandatory)
• Abstract (an abstract should define the problem, the main approach(es) taken, and quantitatively summarize the findings). Do not write the abstract until the experiment is completed.
• Introduction/Objectives
• Description of Instrumentation
• Description of Theoretical/Analytical/Numerical Background
• Description of Simulation Procedure
• Description of Experimental Procedure
• Recording and Annotation of Results
• Findings and Conclusions
• References

Each of the sections above should be familiar to you, particularly if you have completed the first 3 semesters of the core program at Harvey Mudd College. However, please do not hesitate to ask questions of your instructor if the report format or expectations for content are not clear.

The following paragraphs were written by a recent previous lead professor in E80. They will give you a sense of what professors are looking for in lab reports.

A lab report should be a written record of experimental objectives, procedures, and findings. The instrumentation used/employed should be specified along with indications (initials) of the person(s) making the entries. The write-ups have been in general too vague to allow reproduction of results/observations by others. More care is needed when recording observations and explaining uncertainties. When possible, measured information must and should be compared against known specifications. Differences noted require some sort of explanation. The use of graphs and plots (with clearly labeled axes) is encouraged. Many teams have entered numerous words to describe observations where a simple-but-detailed plot would have sufficed. The teams should spend a bit more time trying to understand unexpected results - explain that more lab time can be realized if pre-labs are completed a priori. For example, it is okay to enter any and all pre-lab derivations before the lab . A good example of this in the Basic Measurements Lab was the derivation of the rise time and bandwidth relationship for the oscilloscope (Ed: from a previous version of the lab).

Preparation of pre-lab information should not be limited to entering formulas into your report. The pre-lab should be a comprehensive plan of attack for completing the lab providing your team with strategy, relevant background, theory, and descriptions for the conduct of the experiment.

An Abstract is sometimes a difficult item to complete in advance of the experiment. It is suggested that you make this entry at the conclusion of the write-up. The abstract should (in general) inform the reader of the problem description, approach taken, results obtained, and of any major conclusions or findings determined. The abstract should be as quantitative as possible (that means include numbers). The Introduction/Objectives should provide the reader with a brief and complete description of the purpose for the conduct of the experiment. Include descriptions of specifications in this section. Descriptions of instrumentation should be brief, can be limited to a list of equipment used, and may include a block diagram or sketch of a particular instrument if necessary.

Descriptions of experimental procedure should include details of the experimental setup and procedure followed. This portion of your entry should be detailed enough to allow the reader to reproduce your results based on the descriptions of procedure followed. Descriptions of results (i.e. measurements, data) should be carefully entered. Include appropriate units and descriptors for all measurements, graphs, and tabulated information. Remember, even coarse plots (those which are hand plotted using raw measurements) may be instrumental in exposing trends in the data not previously observed. All plots must be clearly labeled (with units), titled, and referenced in your write-up. Maintain the distinction throughout the experiment between raw and reduced data. (Data reduction procedures include the application of calibration factors, demeaning time data, or any other analysis or statistical process applied to measured data).

Discussions of your findings should also include descriptions of any analytical procedures used during the data reduction phase of your experiment. Wherever possible, compare experimental results with predictions for analytical model results. Include sample calculations with details sufficient for reproduction by the reader. Describe problems encountered during the conduct of the experiment that directly affected the quality of your results. Remember to always hold your measurements up to acceptance criteria for “good” data. Be sure to include these criteria and a discussion of measurement uncertainty in your report.

Finally, most of the experiments you will complete include a design component. Reflect on the appropriateness of your result within the context of the experimental objectives, and provide some discussion pertaining to your impressions on the suggested findings from your work. Please ensure all entries are legible and submit your report on time.

Technical Memorandum Guidelines

Each individual student is required to prepare and submit a technical memorandum that summarizes the team’s process and results on the Static Test & Flight Model Lab. The memorandum is due at the beginning of your afternoon lab two “class weeks” after completion of the Static Test & Flight Model Lab, not including any time during Spring Break. (For example, if a team completes the Static Test & Flight Model Lab on Wednesday afternoon, March 7, the tech memo is due on Wednesday, March 28, because of Spring Break.) You may use your Static Test & Flight Model lab report as the basis from your tech memo. You should submit your tech memo to Sakai under Assignments->Tech Memo. If you need to submit an alternate way, consult your Section Prof ahead of the submission date.

A technical memorandum is a document that is specifically targeted to technically capable persons, such as practicing engineers or engineering managers, who are interested in the technical details of the project or task. Technical memoranda usually are brief and cover only a single topic. In this case, the technical memorandum will cover the procedures, results, and analysis (including sources and extent of errors) of the Static Test & Flight Model Lab, and is limited to four (4) single-spaced pages with 1-inch margins, using a font no smaller than 11 point. The length limit does not include the figures. However, excessive text on the figures will be included in the length limit.

The technical memorandum will be graded for both technical content and proper use of technical English. The content grade will be 60% of the total, and the English grade will be 40% of the total.

Further details on writing techical memoranda are found in the following link.