physics-lab-report

name	physics-lab-report
description	Use when generating, auditing, revising, or compiling UESTC Glasgow College Physics Experiments I/II lab reports, prelab预习报告, postlab实验报告, short/long lab reports, XeLaTeX templates, data tables, uncertainty calculations, scanned-data appendices, or 大物实验报告.

UESTC Physics Lab Report

Overview

Generate and audit UESTC Glasgow College physics experiment reports with the existing XeLaTeX templates. Use this skill for prelabs, postlabs, short reports, long reports, report audits, data-table setup, uncertainty calculation, and PDF-first delivery.

This is a static, auditable skill knowledge base. It is not a RAG service, vector database, or automatic textbook ingestion system. Load only the reference files needed for the current experiment and keep private course materials outside the public repository.

Golden Template Rule

The files below are hard-won golden templates:

• templates/prelab_template.tex
• templates/postlab_template.tex

Do not rewrite, reformat, simplify, or "clean up" their settings unless the user explicitly asks for template maintenance. They encode the official cover insertion, absolute prelab overlays, score boxes, watermark wording, fonts, spacing, and appendix behavior.

When producing a report, copy or adapt from these templates into a working report file. Leave the committed templates unchanged.

Core Principles

1. Use the full experiment title as the primary key. Lab numbers change by year.
2. Use current official templates and teacher materials before old examples.
3. Use real data only. Never invent raw data, questions, signatures, or formulas.
4. Prefer manual raw-data input. OCR or visual extraction is only a draft until the user confirms every value.
5. Treat senior reports as style and completeness references only. The goal is to produce a better, more current, more traceable report than the references.
6. Return the final PDF as the main deliverable when local XeLaTeX is available.
7. Keep generated plots, scans, and scripts inside the report folder with relative paths.

Reference Routing

Read these files only when they apply:

Need	Read
First-time setup, update mode, audit mode	references/course-workflow.md
Finding local templates, scans, reports, PPTs, and senior examples	references/material-discovery.md
Significant figures, uncertainty, regression, units	references/numerical-rules.md
Figures, scanned appendix, XeLaTeX/PDF workflow	references/figures-and-compilation.md
Experiment title lookup	references/experiment-index.md
Physics Experiments II lookup	references/experiments/physics-experiments-ii-index.md
Specific experiment formulas/tables	Matching references/experiments/*.md

Work Modes

First-Time Setup

Use once per semester or course version:

1. Save official prelab and postlab cover PDFs.
2. Copy config/student_profile.example.yaml to config/student_profile.yaml.
3. Copy config/naming.example.yaml to config/naming.yaml.
4. Copy config/template_fields.example.yaml to config/template_fields.yaml.
5. Confirm stable fields: name, student ID, email, college, major, class, instructor, and teaching assistant.
6. Confirm PDF naming rules and course version.

Private filled config files and private assets are gitignored.

Regular Generation

For each report, collect:

1. Report type: prelab, postlab, short report, or long report.
2. Full experiment title.
3. Lab number/submission label for cover and filename only.
4. Date fields.
5. Manually entered raw data, or a scan transcription confirmed by the user.
6. Teacher formula/data-processing sheet when it differs from the reference.
7. Completed scanned data sheet for appendix when required.

Then:

1. Select the experiment reference by title/alias.
2. Prepare or confirm the data table before calculations.
3. Generate the report .tex from the golden template.
4. Compile with XeLaTeX.
5. Rename the PDF using config/naming.yaml when available.

Update Mode

Use when stable material changes:

• cover template PDFs
• student profile
• instructor or TA
• output naming rule
• course/textbook version
• teacher formula template
• experiment reference card

Do not edit golden templates unless the update is specifically about template maintenance.

Audit Mode

Use this to check a finished report or this skill:

1. Identify report type, submission label, and actual title.
2. Read the current official template first.
3. Read the matching experiment reference and current teacher materials.
4. Check raw-data traceability, formulas, units, significant figures, final result, questions, cover, watermark, and appendix scans.
5. Compile in a clean temporary folder when possible.
6. Report current-template mismatches before style suggestions.

Report Types At A Glance

	Prelab	Postlab
Cover PDF	01-Template for Prelab work-2026*.pdf	02-Template for lab report-2026*.pdf
Cover insertion	\includepdf	\includepdf
Page style	empty	fancy, centered page numbers
Watermark	Physics Lab 2026	Physics Labs 2026
Main sections	Answers to Questions (20 points)	Abstract, Calculations/Results/Comments, Conclusions, Questions
Data appendix	Usually not needed	attach completed scanned data sheet when required
Identity	overlay on answer pages	usually contained in filled cover PDF

Physics Experiments II may use prelab, short lab report, or long lab report formats. Always inspect the current cover/template before assuming section names or point values.

Title-Based Experiment Mapping

Known Physics Experiments I current mapping:

Submission label	Actual experiment
lab1	Measurement of Resistance by Ammeter-Voltmeter Method
lab2	The Oscilloscope
lab3	Newton's Rings
lab4	Young's Modulus of Wire by Elongating
lab5	Polarized Light

Physics Experiments II historical labels conflict across years. Use references/experiments/physics-experiments-ii-index.md and ask the user to confirm the full title when labels disagree.

Data Handling

Manual input is the default. If the user uploads scans:

1. Try direct text extraction when the PDF is text-based.
2. Render scanned pages for visual inspection when extraction is empty.
3. Transcribe conservatively.
4. Show the table to the user for confirmation.
5. Do not calculate until the user confirms unclear values.

If raw data is missing, generate only a skeleton report or blank data-entry table. Do not generate a final report.

Formula Sources

Use formulas in this order:

1. Current teacher formula/data-processing sheet.
2. Matching experiment reference card.
3. Current lab manual/textbook.
4. Senior reports as examples only.

If a teacher-specific formula sheet is missing, use the reference card only when it covers the experiment and warn that current teacher details may differ.

LaTeX Patterns To Preserve

Cover insertion:

\usepackage{pdfpages}
\includepdf[pages=1,pagecommand={\thispagestyle{empty}}]{\CoverPDF}
\setcounter{page}{1}

Postlab section headings:

\labsection{Calculations, Results, and Comments}{(Calculations, data tables and figures; 15 points)}

Data table pattern:

\datatable{DATA TABLE X-X}{(Purpose: ...)}
\begin{table}[H]
\centering
\small
\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.15}
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{3pt}
{\tablefont
\begin{tabular}{|...|}
\hline
... real data only ...
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption*{Unit: ... $\Delta_{\mathrm{instr.}}=...$, $\Delta_{\mathrm{read}}=...$}
\end{table}

Scanned appendix:

\clearpage
\appendixhead
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
\includegraphics[page=1,width=0.90\textwidth]{\DataPDF}
\caption*{Scanned data sheet page 1}
\end{figure}

Compilation

Use XeLaTeX:

bash scripts/build_report.sh file.tex "final_submission_name.pdf"

The script compiles twice, cleans auxiliary files, and optionally renames the PDF. If XeLaTeX is unavailable, produce an Overleaf-ready project and say that local compilation was not run.

When Materials Are Missing

Missing material	Behavior
Cover template PDF	Generate .tex draft only and ask for the official cover
Raw data	Generate skeleton or data-entry table only
Formula template	Use reference card if available and warn about teacher-specific gaps
Questions	Leave placeholders or ask user; do not invent questions
Unclear scan	Draft transcription with caveats and ask for confirmation
Teacher signature	Attach completed signed scan; do not auto-place signatures

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Using lab number as the experiment key	Match by full title and aliases
Editing golden templates casually	Copy into a report file; leave templates untouched
Copying senior-report formulas blindly	Check current teacher template first
Relying on OCR for handwritten numbers	Ask the user to confirm every value
Fabricating missing data/questions	Stop and request the missing material
Compiling with pdfLaTeX	Use XeLaTeX
Referencing Desktop paths in LaTeX	Use relative paths inside the report folder
Forgetting scanned-data appendix	Attach completed data sheet when required
Treating old point values as current	Current cover/template wins

Finish Checklist

Before saying a report is ready:

• Full experiment title identified.
• Current template/cover rules checked.
• Matching experiment reference loaded.
• Raw data confirmed by the user or manually provided.
• Every reported number traces to a source.
• Units and significant figures checked.
• Uncertainty or regression handled according to current materials.
• Golden templates were not modified.
• Figures and scans use relative paths.
• XeLaTeX compilation was run, or an Overleaf-ready fallback was clearly stated.
• Final PDF name follows config/naming.yaml when available.