Homework answers / question archive / CHAPTER 6 TECHNICAL WRITING OVERVIEW 6

CHAPTER 6 TECHNICAL WRITING OVERVIEW 6

Writing

Share With

CHAPTER 6 TECHNICAL WRITING OVERVIEW 6.1 Overview This section briefly discusses concepts in technical writing. It contains information and text from the prescribed book for this class. 6.1.1 Practical Writing style Engineers often write reports in the third person in deference to impartiality and to focus attention on the subject matter at hand. The idea is to disassociate the writer from the action and make the equipment/model/test the “doer of the action (5).” This is a notable goal but one that takes time and practice to do e↵ectively. But achieving this goal does not require extensive use of the passive voice, despite traditional beliefs to the contrary. Abstract An Abstract is a complete, concise distillation of the full report. It provides • Brief introduction to the subject • Brief description of the experiment • Highlights of the results (quantitative, if possible) • Conclusions from your study A concise, clear approach is essential. It is usually written after the main body of the report has been completed. Most abstracts are rarely exceed 150 words. Introduction An Introduction provides the • necessary background information including appropriate literature review 35 • develops for the reader a clear rationale for the work • clearly states the objectives of the report Introduction is where you develop and then state the hypothesis or question tested. The Introduction does not contain results, and generally would not contain equations. It could contain a figure or table as needed to develop the rationale. Result and Discussion This section is the heart of the report, and should tell the main “story” of the experiment. Figures and tables should be used to help communicate the story, but must be complemented by text which explains the content of the graphics to the reader. Figures and tables should be numbered, and then referenced by that number when they are described in the text. When creating charts or plots, • make sure the axes are labeled and that units are specified • make sure all the figures have caption and figure number • appropriate scales should be applied to make e↵ective use of the plot area • figure width should be half text-width size or full text-width size Conclusion The Conclusions section is where you should concisely restate your answer to the questions: “What do I know now?” and “Why is that important?” Your answer must support or refute your hypothesis and provide a useful closure to the report. In a short summary, • Restate why the work was done, and how it was done • Why these results are significant • This is not the place to o↵er new facts or discussion • A conclusion will normally have a quantified outcome • This is not the place to o↵er new facts or discussion 36 6.1.2 Example Figure Which one is better figure Figure 6.1: Displacement versus time. 5 106 gms 170 gms 225 gms 335 gms 459 gms Displacement (cm) 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 time (s) Figure 6.2: Displacement as the function of time for five di↵erent applied force. 37 6.1.3 Example of Abstract Which one is better abstract Abstract-1 Internal combustion engines are used in many types of transportation vehicles. Combustionignition engines are normally used in large truck and trains and burn diesel fuel. Sparkignition engines are used in conventional automobiles, and burn gasoline. Engines use a mechanical system of pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft to convert the combustion into rotary motion. Generally the crankshaft drives a transmission which is used to deliver the power to the drive wheels. The purpose of this experiment is to measure the power output and fuel consumption of the engine. Values of these parameters are found in Figures 2 to 4 in this report. Abstract-2 A constant throttle test was performed on a typical internal combustion engine designed for automobile use. Key parameters of interest were the engine torque, horsepower, speed, and specific fuel consumption. Engine speed was varied from approximately 1500 to 2500 rpm by varying the load with a water brake dynamometer. The results showed that the peak power output of 82 horsepower occurred at an engine speed of about 2300 rpm, while the maximum torque was obtained at 1800 rpm. The most efficient range of the engine, based on its brake specific fuel consumption, was between 2100 and 2300 rpm. 6.1.4 Example of Experimental Setup Which one is better Experimental Setup description Experimental Setup-1 For this investigation a rigid-frame test setup was designed, to which a linear potentiometer, an air damper and a measuring scale were attached, as shown in figure 1. The top-platform of this experimental rigid-frame had the ability to move in the vertical direction (i.e., y-axis) when a force was applied on the top-platform, as shown in the figure. The top-platform had an air-damper attached to it which resisted the downward movement of top-platform. A constant force was applied to the top-platform by placing a known weight on it, as shown in figure 1. For this experiment five di↵erent weights were used in order to vary the applied force on the top-platform. A linear potentiometer was also attached to the top-platform, as shown in the figure. The output voltage data from the linear potentiometer was proportional to the location/position of the top-platform. Therefore, the acquired output voltage was used to calculate the velocity of the top-platform. Output voltage was acquired using a data acquisition system controlled via Labview program. For each of the five applied forces, the output voltage data from the linear potentiometer were acquired throughout the time period that the top-platform was in motion. Sampling frequencies for the data acquisition for all test cases are provided in the table 6.1. The scale attached to the frame, as shown in the figure, was primarily used for the calibration of the linear potientiometer (detailed discussion regarding calibration is provided in “Calibration” section). 38 Test name Wt-1 Wt-2 Wt-3 Wt-4 Wt-5 Weight (gms) 106 170 225 335 459 Sampling frequency (Hz) 10 10 10 15 20 Table 6.1: Test case name and sampling frequencies used in this experiment. Experimental Setup-2 We performed the experiment according to the procedure in the handout. We used the following steps: • Rigid frame with potientiometer, air-damper and scale was designed • Known force was applied to the frame • Voltage data was acquired from channel-7 • Sampling frequency used in the experiment is provided in table 6.1 • Create a LabView file to read the data • Open the data file in Excel • Plot the data in Excel to calculate velocity of the air-damper. 39 4 Report template 7 Experiment Title Name: Your Name Lab partner: Group members name Date of submission Abstract Abstract should be brief and not more than 150 words. The abstract is one paragraph (not an introduction) and complete in itself (no reference numbers). It should indicate subjects dealt with in the paper and state the objectives of the investigation. Observed facts and conclusions of the experiment or argument discussed in the report must be stated in summary form; readers should not have to read the paper to understand the abstract. Format the abstract bold, indented 1/2 in. on each side, and separated from the rest of the document by two blank lines. Nomenclature (if required) (Nomenclature entries should have the units identified) A = amplitude of oscillation a = cylinder diameter Cp = pressure coefficient Cx = force coefficient in the x direction I. T Introduction HIS document is a template for Microsoft Word 2001 or later. To create your formatted manuscript, type your own text over sections of ReportTemplate.doc, or cut and paste from another document and then use the available markup styles. Note that special formatting such as subscripts, superscripts, and italics may be lost when you copy your text into the template. See section for more detailed formatting guidelines. II. Approach – (Subsections - Experimental Setup, and Analysis) III. IV. Results Conclusion Although a conclusion may review the main points of the paper, it must not replicate the abstract. A conclusion might elaborate on the importance of the work or suggest applications and extensions. Do not cite references in the conclusion. Note that the conclusion section is the last section of the paper to be numbered. The appendix (if present), acknowledgment, and references are listed without numbers. Appendix An Appendix, if needed. Detailed Formatting Instructions Do not hyphenate your document. Use italics for emphasis; do not underline. Use the “Page Layout” feature from the “View” menu bar (View>Page Layout) to see the most accurate representation of how your final paper will appear. Once formatting is complete, be sure to double space all sections of your manuscript. A. Document Text The first line of every paragraph should be indented, and all lines should be double-spaced. Default margins are 1 in. on all sides. In the electronic version of this template, all margins and other formatting are preset. There should be no additional (blank) lines between paragraphs. B. Abstract An abstract appears at the beginning of Full-Length Papers. The abstract is one paragraph (not an introduction) and complete in itself (no reference numbers). It should indicate subjects dealt with in the paper and state the objectives of the investigation. Newly observed facts and conclusions of the experiment or argument discussed in the paper must be stated in summary form; readers should not have to read the paper to understand the abstract. Format the abstract bold, indented 1/2 in. on each side, and separated from the rest of the document by two blank lines. C. Nomenclature Papers with many symbols should have a nomenclature that defines all symbols with units, inserted between the abstract and the introduction. If one is used, it must contain all the symbology used in the manuscript, and the definitions should not be repeated in the text. In all cases, identify the symbols used if they are not widely recognized in the profession. Define acronyms in the text, not in the nomenclature. D. Figures and Tables Insert tables and figures within your document; they may be either scattered throughout the text or grouped all together at the end of the file. Use the Table drop-down menu to create your tables; do not insert your figures in text boxes. Figures should have no background, borders, or outlines. In the electronic template, use the “Figure” style from the pull-down formatting menu to type caption text. You may also insert the caption by going to the Insert menu and choosing Caption. Make sure the label is “Fig.,” and type your caption text in the box provided. Captions are bold with a single tab (no hyphen or other character) between the figure number and figure description. See the Table 1 example for table style and column alignment. If you wish to center tables that do not fill the width of the page, simply highlight and “grab” the entire table to move it into proper position. Table 1 Transitions selected for thermometry Transition Line a b c d ν?″ 0 1 2 0 P12 R2 R21 R2 J?″ 2.5 2.5 805 23.5 Frequency, cm-1 44069.416 42229.348 40562.179 42516.527 FJ, cm-1 73.58 73.41 71.37 1045.85 Gν, cm-1 948.66 2824.76 4672.68 948.76 Fig. 1 Magnetization as a function of applied fields. Place figure captions below all figures. If your figure has multiple parts, include the labels “a),” “b),” etc., below and to the left of each part, above the figure caption. Please verify that the figures and tables you mention in the text actually exist. When citing a figure in the text, use the abbreviation “Fig.” except at the beginning of a sentence. Do not abbreviate “Table.” Number each different type of illustration (i.e., figures and tables) sequentially with relation to other illustrations of the same type. Figure labels must be legible after reduction to column width (preferably 7–9 points after reduction). E. Equations Equations are numbered consecutively, with equation numbers in parentheses flush right, as in Eq. (1). Insert a blank line both above and below the equation. First use the equation editor to create the equation. If you are using Microsoft Word, use either the Microsoft Equation Editor or the MathType add-on (http://www.mathtype.com) for equations in your paper, use the function (Insert>Object>Create New>Microsoft Equation or MathType Equation) to insert it into the document. Please note that “Float over text” should not be selected. A sample equation is included here, formatted using the preceding instructions ∫ € r2 0 F(r,? ) dr d? = [σr2 /(2µo )] ∫ ∞ 0 exp(- λ | z j − zi |)λ−1J1 ( λr2 )J 0 ( λri dλ) . (1) Be sure that symbols in your equation are defined in the Nomenclature or immediately following the equation. Also define abbreviations and acronyms the first time they are used in the main text. (Very common abbreviations such as AIAA and NASA, do not have to be defined.) F. General Grammar and Preferred Usage Use only one space after periods or colons. Hyphenate complex modifiers: “zero-field-cooled magnetization.” Insert a zero before decimal points: “0.25,” not “.25.” Use “cm2,” not “cc.” A parenthetical statement at the end of a sentence is punctuated outside of the closing parenthesis (like this). (A parenthetical sentence is punctuated within parenthesis.) Use American, not English, spellings (e.g., “color,” not “colour”). The serial comma is preferred: “A, B, and C” instead of “A, B and C.” Be aware of the different meanings of the homophones “affect” (usually a verb) and “effect” (usually a noun), “complement” and “compliment,” “discreet” and “discrete,” “principal” (e.g., “principal investigator”) and “principle” (e.g., “principle of measurement”). Do not confuse “imply” and “infer.”