So my lab section just finished a 3-day difficult lab where they have to identify an unknown compound. It freaks them out. They can't ask the TA's really anything so they're on their own. (Well, kinda. They have checkpoints where they talk to the prof to make sure they're on the right track.) I was just there in the lab to make sure nobody blew themselves up. Here are some of my favorite things I saw or heard the past few lab periods:
1. I had to titrate 12 times! (They only needed 3 trials.)
2. So what do you think my data means? (Stop asking me that! I can't answer any questions!)
3. One group figured out what they had by luck, and then realized they had some wrong test results. They just go back and scratch out their old results and change their results. A big no-no in the science world.
4. One group decides they are almost done so on the 3rd day, they decide to come the last 45 minutes of lab (out of 3 hours) so they can sleep in. Nice plan...they ended up just guessing at their compound's identity.
5. Me: What was the volume of the base you added to your acid during the titration?
Clueless Student: 20 drops.
Me: Uh, you need an actual volume...like in milliliters. That's why you use
that glass tube with numbers and markings on it. (Also called a buret.)
Oh, and that's what your directions tell you to do as well.
Clueless Student: Oh, well, I'll just estimate. 2 milliliters sound good.
1 comment:
Ha! Good thing I'm not in that class or you would be posting one of my dumb comments! :)
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