333t review for fun lab image from from d’arcy randall
TRANSCRIPT
333T Review for Fun Lab
Image from www.cisp.spb.ru/ from D’Arcy Randall
WHY???
…not scream!Your lab reports shouldmake your readers smile…
Topics to Review
Images from http://newmp3album.blogspot.com/2008/01/bob-marley.html, http://www.pedalpusherslimited.co.uk/pedalscat/roundabout-seesaw-p-464.html; www.rebeccacresswell.co.uk/.../elements.jpg
Active and Passive Voice
Tenses
ChE Communications Website
Abstracts
Read about 253M Laboratory Reports on the ChE Communications Website
http://www.engr.utexas.edu/che/techwriting/
Writing guidelinesTemplateFAQs
Active and Passive Voice
Image from http://newmp3album.blogspot.com/2008/01/bob-marley.html
Active or Passive?
Images from Image from http://newmp3album.blogspot.com/2008/01/bob-marley.html
“I shot the sheriff,but I did not shootthe deputy.”
How would an engineer write Marley’s lyric?
Images from Image from http://newmp3album.blogspot.com/2008/01/bob-marley.html
Learn to recognize the active and the passive voice.
In active voice sentences, the subject is the agent, or the doer of the action:
Ex: LSU beat Ohio State.
In passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action:
Ex: Ohio State was defeated.
Learn to recognize the active and the passive voice.
The writing of papers is traditionally dreaded by students everywhere.
Students everywhere dread writing papers.
(Hairston et al., 2004, 347)
Learn to recognize the active and the passive voice.
The writing of papers is traditionally dreaded by students everywhere.
Students everywhere dread writing papers.
(Hairston et al., 2004, 347)
Passive
Active
The active voice is stronger than the passive voice
Passive voice
Active voice
(Lee, 2000), (98-pound, 2001),
The Passive voice hides the energy of your work
A new process for eliminating nitrogen oxides from diesel exhaust engines is presented. Flow tube experiments to test this process are discussed. The percentage decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions is revealed.
(98-pound, 2001)
The passive voice hides the energy of your work
A new process for eliminating nitrogen oxides from diesel exhaust engines is presented. Flow tube experiments to test this process are discussed. The percentage decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions is revealed.
This paper presents a new processfor eliminating nitrogen oxides fromthe exhaust of diesel engines. It also discusses flow tube experimentsto test this process. These experiments revealed a 99 percent decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions.
(Lee, 2000), (98-pound, 2001),
Know how to shift from passive to active voice.
Experiments have been conducted to test the hypothesis.
Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis.
(Hairston et al, 2004, 347)
To change from passive to active 1. find the agent2. make the agent the subject3. change the verb.
Know how to shift from passive to active voice.
Mistakes were made.
We/I made mistakes.
(Hairston et al., 2004, 347)
To change from passive to active, 1.find the agent, 2. make the agent the subject, then 3. change the verb.
Active voice vs. Passive voice
Active voiceTo be conciseTo clarify responsibilityTo emphasize the
agentFor audiences trained
in humanities
Passive
To emphasize the action
To emphasize what is acted upon
For technical audiences (science or engineering reports)
For Methods and Results of a Lab. report.
Active voice vs. Passive voice
Active
Darth Vader stole my car.
Engineers repaired the levee.
We mixed the green slime with the red slime.
Passive
My car was stolen.
The levee was repaired.
The green slime was mixed with the red slime.
This senior lab report introduction begins in the active voice.
The current research focuses on the reduction of carbon dioxideemissions from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants. Aminesolutions offer a potential solution to this pollution reductiontechnology. The intended research involves developing anunderstanding of the physical properties of amine solutions as theyrelate to changes in concentration, temperature, ionic conductivity,and CO2 concentration. The pilot plant at Pickle Research Center(PRC) is investigating new processes for CO2 capture including
theuse of 30 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA). Development of a virtualanalyzer for correlating ionic conductivity and other physicalproperties of CO2 loaded amine solutions will further improvesequestration techniques and ultimately support efforts to lowerCO2 emissions.
(Beveridge et al., 2004)
Problems can arise using the activevoice with inanimate objects
Safe
Dangerous
The oscilloscope displayedthe voltage.
The oscilloscope measuredthe voltage.
V
+
-
The oscilloscope calculatedthe voltage. V=
(Alley, 1996, 107)
Avoid shifting voice mid-sentence.
YES
Many patients suffered from vertigo while taking the drug, and they complained to their doctors.
NO
Many patients experienced vertigo while taking the drug, and complaints were made to their doctors.
Avoid dangling modifiers.
YES
Hoping to save time, Henri prepared instant coffee.
NO
Hoping to save time, instant coffee was prepared.
Summary
Control your use of the passive voice.Consider audience
Consider purpose
Consider emphasis
Tenses
Images from www.dmhas.state.ct.us , www.weblo.com, http://www.pedalpusherslimited.co.uk/pedalscat/roundabout-seesaw-p-464.html; www.rebeccacresswell.co.uk/.../elements.jpg
Engineering papers use mostly past and present tenses.
PRESENTPAST
I saw I see
Engineering papers use mostly past and present tenses.
PRESENTPAST
CO2 influences global climate change.
Water is wet.
Red chemicals mixed with blue chemicals make purple chemicals.
Thered chemical was mixedwith the bluechemical.
Fig. 2 shows that…
Past tense
Use the past tense to write up what was done or what happened in the experiment.
The red chemical was mixed with the blue chemical.
The resulting purple chemical exploded.
Present tenseUse the present tense for
a. statements of accepted knowledge CO2 levels influence climate change
b. facts that are always true Water is wet.
c. references to accepted findings in published workCarbamate ions react with H2O to form MEA and bicarbonate ions (Hoff et al., 2000)
Present tenseUse the present tense to refer to figures, tables, appendices,
and other parts of your own report.
Figure 1 demonstrates the trend…
The data in Table 3 show…
Appendix 2 includes calculations…
Remember three rules.
1. Use the past tense to write up what was done or what happened in the experiment.
2. Use the present tense to write up a. statements of accepted knowledge b. facts that are always true
c. accepted findings in published work.
3. Use the present tense to refer to figures, tables, or
other parts of the report.
Remember three rules.
The red chemical was mixed with the blue chemical. These reacted to produce a white crystalline product that has a melting point of 120 degrees C and has an adsorbance maximum at 230 nm.
The ability for MEA solutions to capture carbon dioxide is a reversible reaction. Based on this knowledge, it was expected that CO2 would evolve over time. In addition to losses of CO2 over time, CO2 loss occurred during agitation of solutions and with temperature changes. Overall, CO2 losses were observed most with dilutions and time. Tables 2 and 3 tabulate the observed changes in CO2 loading when the solution was diluted from 45 wt% to 35 wt%. (Beveridge et al. 2004)
Example from a Senior Research Report
Summary:laboratory reports use mostly past and present tenses.
PRESENTPAST
CO2 influences global climate change.
Water is wet.
Red chemicals mixed with blue chemicals make purple chemicals.
Thered chemical was mixedwith the bluechemical.
Fig. 2 shows that…
Abstracts
Images from www.dmhas.state.ct.us , www.weblo.com, http://www.pedalpusherslimited.co.uk/pedalscat/roundabout-seesaw-p-464.html; www.rebeccacresswell.co.uk/.../elements.jpg
What does an Abstract do?
― describes your procedures, results, and conclusions.
― assists professors and managers.— helps others researchers decide if they
really need to read your work.— reminds you (years later) of what you did
and what you concluded.
(Alley, 1996, pp. 24-25)
Features of a good Abstract
— is a complete, accurate, and concise summary of the work.
— includes a quantitative summary of what you did, the results you obtained, and the conclusions based on those results.
― may be read independent of the report.― does not include tables, figures, or references to
sections in the text.— makes a good first impression on your reader.
(Alley, 1996, pp. 24-25)
How to Write an Abstract1. Finish your report.2. Review your report, highlighting statements about
a. principal objectives and scope b. methodology c. quantitative results
d. conclusions e. recommendations (if applicable)3. Write a paragraph concisely rephrasing the
statements. 4. Avoid citations, illustrations, and new information.
Abstracts for ChE 253M and 264 Reports Give Quantitative Results.
• The main objective of the centrifugal pump performance laboratory is to familiarize the student with pump performance testing, the use of dimensional analysis and affinity laws, and the calculation and presentation of test results. Calibration curves for the pump pressure transducer, venturi pressure transducer, and venturi meter yielded correlation coefficient values of 0.9996, 0.9994, and 0.9975, respectively. These values indicate strong linear relationships for each curve, and a venturi meter coefficient of 4.4 was determined from these plots. For the pump performance portion of the experiment, head decreased and BHP (brake horsepower) increased as flowrate increased at 1800 and 2500 rpm. A maximum efficiency value of 32.3 percent at 52.0 GPM was obtained for 1800 rpm, and a value of 38.9 percent at 81.1 GPM was determined at 2500 rpm. The motor efficiency was higher than the pump efficiency at all flowrates for 1800 and 2500 rpm. At a constant flowrate, NPSH (net positive suction head) decreases as the pump speed increases. For the design problem, dimensional analysis was initially used to design a pump with a 6.58” impeller operating at 7726 rpm and 34.9 percent efficiency to produce a required flowrate of 300,000 gal/day. Affinity laws were used to design a pump with more feasible parameters. A final pump design of a 14.5” impeller operating at 3600 rpm to produce a flowrate of 308,074 gal/day was calculated.
(Lin, 2002)
Features of a good Abstract
— is a complete, accurate, and concise summary of the work.
— includes a quantitative summary of what you did, the results you obtained, and the conclusions based on those results.
― may be read independent of the report.― does not include tables, figures, or references to sections
in the text.— makes a good first impression on your reader.
(Alley, 1996, pp. 24-25)
Images from www.dmhas.state.ct.us , www.weblo.com, http://www.pedalpusherslimited.co.uk/pedalscat/roundabout-seesaw-p-464.html; www.rebeccacresswell.co.uk/.../elements.jpg
SummaryDon’t forget333T!
or the CheCommunications Website!
ReferencesAlley, Michael. (1996). The Craft of Scientific Writing. Springer: New York: 24-25Anderson, P. (2003). Technical Communication: a Reader-Centered Approach. 5th ed. Boston,
MA: Heinle.
Beveridge, R., Nguyen, D., & Oslund, S. (2004). Virtual Analyzer MEA/CO2.Unpublished manuscript, The University of Texas at Austin.
Hairston, M., Ruszkiewicz, J., & Friend, C. (2004). Chapter 20. In The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers (7th ed., pp. 341-360). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Lee, Ang. (2000). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2006 from Chinavoc.com, http://www.chinavoc.com/entertainment/actress/zhangziyi/movies/whcl.htm.
Lin, Michael. (Fall, 2005). Abstract. Centrifugal pump performance test. Laboratory Report, ChE 253M.
98-pound weakling [Cartoon]. (2001, May 24). St. Petersburg Times Weekend Online. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www.sptimes.com/News/052401/Weekend/Plunge_into_summer_s_.shtml
Truskett. T. M. and Ganesan, V. (2003, July 22 ). Abstract. Ideal glass transitions in thin films: An energy landscape perspective. American Institute of Physics, 1898-1900.