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Rough Draft of the Final Lab Report
You are required to develop a rough draft for your Final Lab Report, which covers all three experiments for "Lab 2: Water Quality and Contamination." To begin, carefully review the instructions for your Final Lab Report assignment located within Week Five. Next, download the Rough Draft of the Final Lab Report Template and utilize this form to ensure proper formatting and inclusion of all required material. Using the template will ensure proper formatting. You must use at least four scholarly sources and your lab manual to support your points. The rough draft must be three to five pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.
The Rough Draft of the Final Lab Report must contain the following seven sections in this order:
- Title Page – This page must include the title of your report, your name, course name, instructor, and date submitted.
- Introduction – This section should discuss why the experiment was conducted. At a minimum, it should contain three paragraphs. One paragraph must cover background information of similar studies that have already been done in the area. This is accomplished by citing existing literature from similar experiments and explaining their results. A second paragraph should provide an objective or a reason why the experiment is being done. Why do we want to know the answer to the question we are asking? A third paragraph should provide a hypothesis for each of the three experiments conducted.
- Materials and Methods – This section should provide a detailed description of the materials used in your experiment and how they were used. A step-by-step rundown of your experiment is necessary; however, it should be done in paragraph form, not in a list format. The description should be exact enough to allow for someone reading the report to replicate the experiment, but it should be in your own words and not simply copied and pasted from the lab manual.
- Results – This section should include the data and observations from the experiment. All tables and graphs should be present in this section. Additionally, there should be at least one paragraph explaining the data in paragraph form. There should be no personal opinions or discussion beyond the results of your experiments located within this section.
- Discussion – This section should interpret or explain the meaning of your data and provide conclusions. At least three paragraphs should be outlined here. First, a paragraph should be present that addresses whether the hypotheses were confirmed or denied and how you know this. Second, you are to discuss the meaning of your findings in this area utilizing scholarly sources to put the paper into context. For example, how do your results compare with the findings of similar studies? Also, you should discuss any future questions arising from your results and how you might test them. Finally, you should discuss if there are any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results. If so, how could you control for these in the future?
- Conclusions – This section should provide a brief summary of your work.
- References – Provide a list of at least four scholarly sources and your lab manual that will be used in the Final Lab Report. Format your references according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
This is the lab report that needs to be used in order to complete the rough draft
Lab 2 – Water Quality and Contamination
Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination
Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.)
Beaker
Observations
1
Color was clear and odorless
2
Cloudy, strong oil smell, small groups of what looked like air bubbles at the center and a few along the edges
3
Color was clear, strong sour smell like rotten eggs
4
Light green color, smells like a forest, sudsy bubbles along the outer perimeter of beaker
5
Murky looking, smells like fresh wet dirt, has what looks like soot at the bottom of the beaker
6
Glossy color with a bigger pocket of air bubbles with smaller ones on the inside of the bigger one but when you look on the side of it there is a layer of oil that separates the water
7
Cloudy color, still has a light stich with small particles floating in water and a slight film that looks like spider webs
8
Color is a faint green and cloudy, smells like pine, a few air bubbles scattered along the edges, suds seem to disappeared
POST LAB QUESTIONS
Develop hypotheses on the ability of oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent to contaminate groundwater.
Oil hypothesis = If an oil spill occurs then the chances of the groundwater contamination are greater and costly.
Vinegar hypothesis = If vinegar contaminates groundwater, then there will be a strong odor.
Laundry detergent hypothesis = If laundry detergent contaminates ground water, then it will seep through the soil altering the dynamics of the water.
Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept each hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Oil hypothesis accept/reject = Reject/ while the oil is trapped in the soil in will slowly over time and there are many factors that can come into play when determining what type of oil has been spilled or leaked into the ground and temperature can play an important role also.
Vinegar hypothesis accept/reject = Accept/ vinegar uses the soil as a filter and over time can contaminate the water and change the odor as well. After I completed the experiment I left the containers overnight and there was no change the odor was still very strong and the color was still cloudy.
Laundry detergent hypothesis accept/reject = Accept/ laundry detergent uses the soil as a filter and over time will change the dynamics of the water as well as the balance. I did the same thing and left the detergent overnight and the color stayed the same with a faint smell of pine.
What affects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment? Which contaminant seemed to have the most potent effect on the water?
Answer = The affects that the oil had on the water was something that I have seen before but since the water is a component and the oil is its own component the water does not break down the oil so it kind of just floats on top of the water.
The effects of the vinegar does in fact change the dynamics of water because vinegar is a solvent and mixes with water equally.
The effects of the laundry detergent also changes the dynamics of water because again because detergent is made to break down in water.
Using at least 1 scholarly source, discuss what type of affects these contaminants (oil, vinegar, detergent) might have on a town’s water source and the people who drank the water?
Answer = I think that the only one that might not have an immediate effect on a town’s water source would be the vinegar other than a bad taste and odor, but the laundry detergent and oil contain other additives that can be harmful to humans and the environment. “Accidental releases of petroleum products from pipelines and fuel-oil storage tanks are among the most common causes of groundwater contamination” (Kao, Surampalli, Chien & Chen 2010). Water contamination in humans can sometimes cause serious illness like cancer and can then cause not to mention the cost related to groundwater contamination can sore through the roof one example was the biggest lawsuit in California history with Pacific Gas & Electric
Describe what type of human activity would cause contaminants like oil, acid and detergents to flow into the water supply? Additionally, what other items within your house do you believe could contaminate the water supply if you were to dump them onto the ground?
Answer = That would be a pretty big list of activities and I think the ones that come to mind off the top of my head would be working on an automobile which is something that everyone has done a time or two changing the oil on a car a good example is using Comet to break down the oil and then spraying it off with a water hose (I know this because I have done it), every day household chores like mopping using other cleaning agents such as bleach, Pin-sol, can go back into the soil and contaminate groundwater, washing a car using any type of detergent.
Experiment 2: Water Treatment
POST LAB QUESTIONS
Develop a hypothesis on the ability of your filtration technique to remove contaminants.
Hypothesis = The use of different coagulants along with other materials combined can remove most groundwater contaminates.
Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/Reject = Accept/ during the filtration process I noticed that the use of different coagulants caused the water to separate and that the contaminates sank to the bottom of the beaker, and with the other materials such as the gravel sand, caught the remaining particles and finally the use of the bleach acted as the disinfection stage of the process which kills any remaining bacteria.
What are the differences in color, smell, visibility, etc. between the “contaminated” water and the “treated” water?
Answer = With the “contaminated” water I look at it is separated from the bigger particles it is very murky and a faint smell of rotten wood, dark in color I have to hold it up in the light to really see through it. The “treated” water has a few particles floating in it but nothing like the contaminated water, has a light smell of bleach but the visibility is clear and as I hold it up to get a good look at it has only a little bit of what looks like soot at the bottom of the beaker.
From the introduction to this lab, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process. Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed.
Answer =
Step 1 Aeration: The mixing of the soil solution back and forth along with tap water to create the contaminated water.
Step 2 Coagulation: Added 10 mL of alum to attract dirt and other small particles and stirred slowly and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Step 3 Sedimentation: I took the contaminated water and poured it in the funnel which acted as a filter. Heavy particles sink to the bottom during coagulation and separate the rest of the water is filtered out.
Step 4 Filtration: The water passed through the charcoal, sand, and gravel to help catch the remaining particles left over from step 2 the use of a cheesecloth served as a filter in this process.
Step 5 Disinfection: The use of bleach to clean out any other bacteria or dirt that was left behind.
Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality
Table 2: Ammonia Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
0
Table 3: Chloride Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
500
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
0
Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results
Water Sample
pH
Total Alkalinity
Total Chlorine
Total Hardness
Tap Water
10
180
0.2
50
Dasani® Bottled Water
3
40
0
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
8
0.2
0
50
Table 5: Phosphate Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
50
Dasani® Bottled Water
25
Fiji® Bottled Water
100
Table 6: Iron Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0.3
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
0
POST LAB QUESTIONS
Develop a hypothesis on which water source you believe will contain the most and least contaminants.
Hypothesis = Even though the tap water has gone through a filtration process it will contain higher contaminates, than Dasani which is purified will contain the least as well as Fiji water which is processed through a natural spring source.
Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/reject = Reject/ I wa under the impression that because the tap water had to go through an entire filtration process and travel through pipelines that it would contain higher amounts of contaminates, however the Fiji water which comes from a natural spring also contained a small amount of contaminates as well leaving Dasani to be the purest of the three waters which makes the hypothesis untrue.
Based on the results of your experiment, what major differences, if any, do you notice between the Dasani, Fiji, and tap water?
Answer = I did not notice that much of a difference between the three that I could see, I was shocked to learn that Fiji contained a small amount of contaminates. I was not really surprised by the tap water having a lot of contaminates.
Based on your results, do you believe that bottled water is worth the price? Why or why not?
Answer = I must say that I drink Dasani on a regular basis and it is sold at a reasonable price and it is just refreshing and does not have an after taste like most bottled water and now I am convinced that it does not contain any contaminates.
*NOTE – Do not forget to go to Lab 3: Biodiversity, and complete “Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants” steps 1 through 6. Steps 1 through 6 need to be completed in order to be prepared for Week Three, however, results for this experiment will not be calculated until next week. Thus, while nothing is to be handed in for this experiment until the end of Week Three you must plant the seeds this week to ensure that you can complete week 3 on time.
References
Kao, C. M., Chien, H. Y., Surampalli, R. Y., Chien, C. C., & Chen, C. Y. (2010). Assessing of Natural Attenuation and Intrinsic Bioremediation Rates at a Petroleum-Hydrocarbon Spill Site: Laboratory and Field Studies. Journal Of Environmental Engineering, 136(1), 54-67. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000122
This is the rough draft that should be followed
*This template will provide you with the details necessary to begin a quality Final Lab Report. Utilize this template to complete the Week 3 Rough Draft of the Final Lab Report and ensure that you are providing all of the necessary information and proper format for the assignment. Before you begin, please note the following important information:
Carefully review the Final Lab Report instructions before you begin this assignment.
The Final Lab Report should cover all 3 experiments from your Week Two Lab.
As you plan your final paper, think about how you can combine these laboratories to tell a fact-based story about water quality. For example, consider how your experiments can be linked to issues at water treatment plants or the amount of bottled water people purchase.
For further help see the Sample Final Lab Report for an example of a final product on a different topic.
You may simply replace the text following the bold terms with the appropriate outline information to complete this assignment. Make sure to pay close attention to the information called for and provide all necessary material.
Title
Introduction
Body Paragraph #1 - Background: The rough draft of the introduction should describe the background of water quality and related issues using cited examples. You should include scholarly sources in this section to help explain why water quality research is important to society. When outlining this section, make sure to at least list relevant resources in APA format that will be used in the final paper to develop the background for your experiment.
Body Paragraph # 2 - Objective: The rough draft of the introduction should also contain the objective for your study. This objective is the reason why the experiment is being done. Your rough draft should provide an objective that describes why we want to know the answer to the questions we are asking.
Body Paragraph # 3 - Hypotheses: Finally, the introduction should end with your hypotheses. The rough draft should include a hypothesis for each one of the three experiments. These hypotheses should be the same ones posed before you began your experiments. You may reword them following feedback from your instructor to illustrate a proper hypothesis, however, you should not adjust them to reflect the “right” answer. You do not lose points for an incorrect hypothesis; scientists often revise their hypotheses based on scientific evidence following an experiment.
Materials and Methods
Body Paragraph # 1: The rough draft of the materials and methods section should provide a brief description of the specialized materials used in your experiment and how they were used. This section needs to summarize the instructions with enough detail so that an outsider who does not have a copy of the lab instructions knows what you did. However, this does not mean writing every little step like “dip the pH test strip in the water, then shake the test strips,” these steps can be simplified to read “we used pH test strips to measure water pH”, etc. Additionally, this section should be written in the past tense and in your own words and not copied and pasted from the lab manual.
Results
Tables: The rough draft of the results section should include all tables used in your experiment. All values within the tables should be in numerical form and contain units. For instance, if measuring the amount of chloride in water you should report as 2 mg/L or 0 mg/L not as two or none.
Body Paragraph # 1: The rough draft of the results section should also describe important results in paragraph form, referring to the appropriate tables when mentioned. This section should only state the results as no personal opinions should be included. A description of what the results really mean should be saved for the discussion. For example, you may report, 0mg/L of chlorine were found in the water, but should avoid personal opinions and interpretations such as, no chlorine was found in the water showing it is cleaner than the others samples.
Discussion
Body Paragraph #1 - Hypotheses: The rough draft of the discussion section should interpret your data and provide conclusions. Start by discussing if each hypothesis was confirmed or denied and how you know this.
Body Paragraph # 2 - Context: The rough draft of your discussion should also relate your results to the bigger water concerns and challenges. For example, based on your experiments you might discuss how various bottled water companies use different filtrations systems. Or, you could discuss the billion dollar bottled water industry. For example, do you think it is worth it to buy bottled water? Why or why not? Your outline should at least list some of the resources that you plan to utilize in your final paper to put your results into context.
Body Paragraph #3 – Variables and Future Experiments: Finally, the rough draft of your results section should also address any possible factors that affected your results, such as possible contamination in the experiments or any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results? If so, how could you control for these in the future? You should also propose some new questions that have arisen from your results and what kind of experiment might be proposed to answer these questions.
Conclusions
Body Paragraph #1: This section of your rough draft should briefly summarize the key points of your experiments. What main message would you like people to have from this report?
References
Include at least 4 scholarly sources and your lab manual here in APA format.
