Eggs-periment Lab Report Overview

Below are the main sections that any laboratory report about an experiment (whether it is performed in high school, college, or by professionals) will usually contain. Your lab report about the eggs-periment will be set up using the general format below.

Throughout the lab report, be sure to use the appropriate vocabulary including words like: homeostasis, diffusion, osmosis, membrane, semi-permeable, solution, solutes, concentration, hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic, etc.

Introduction:
• What should be stated in your introduction?

1. Your Question:

How does __________ affect __________ ?

2. A Hypothesis for each solution used:

If __________ , then __________ because __________.

3. Background information:
E.g., Why eggs?
Use important vocabulary – don’t just write definitions

Methods:
• What should be stated in your methods section?

1. Procedure – detailed (Use paragraphs, past tense, third person)

2. Describe set-up and materials – with diagram

3. Identify independent & dependent variables/constants/control & experimental group

Results:
• What should be included in your results section?

1. Group and class data tables with any supporting calculations


2. Diagrams of each egg solution

Discussion:
1. Using the data you collected, make a statement connecting your hypothesis to the data. Was the hypothesis supported or not supported by the results of your experiment?

2. Provide your best explanation for the data that you obtained. In other words, what happened in the experiment to give you the data that you recorded?
a. For example, what happened to your eggs during the experiment? Be sure to use the terms osmosis, diffusion, and membranes in your answer.
b. Draw a diagram showing what happened to each of the eggs and why it happened in each situation. Did water move into the egg or move out?

3. Investigate how your data compares to the class data (for your experiment). Try to develop possible explanations for any discrepancies.

4. Discuss all sources of error, which may have impacted the results.
a. Discuss each error and the specific impact it may have had on the data and/or how you interpreted it.
b. Discuss the design of the lab set-up – would you make any changes and why?
c. How would you improve the design of your experiment if you were to conduct this experiment again?
d. Based on any and all errors – how reliable then, are the results and your evaluation of your hypothesis?

5. Speculate on the broader meaning of your conclusions – what connections can you make? Are there any practical implications of your work/findings?
a. How can investigations of internal environments be connected to the rest of biology or to your own life?
i. Ex. Why is it a bad idea to drink salt water?
ii. Ex. Why can sugary drinks make you thirsty?
iii. Ex. Why can’t saltwater fish survive in freshwater?