Writing Civil Engineering Lab Reports

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Tom Siller, Civil Engineering

With most testing, the question, "How was the sample handled before the lab?" often arises. Since handling can affect results, this information is necessary. For instance, lunar soils are tested in a vacuum because the moon's atmosphere is a vacuum. Well, were the soils kept in a vacuum from the minute they were taken from the moon and brought to earth? Were they exposed at all? Accounting for how samples were handled tells you whether or not standard procedures were followed and provides explanations for any strange results.