Optical Microscopy: Part 4 Report Outline

5. Viscosity
   1. Procedure
      • Document the samples you prepared and used and how you captured images (camera settings including frame acquisition rate, number of frames, number of particles in the region of interest, choice of sample plane, etc)
   2. Data
   • Include a snapshot of the 0.84 μm fluorescent beads monitored.
   • Plot one or more example bead trajectories for each of the samples. Use of a similar scale for all plots would be informative to the reader.
   • Plot all of your MSD vs τ results; use log-log axes. Use the minimum number of axes that can convey your results clearly.
   3. Analysis and Results
   • Include a table of the diffusion coefficient, viscosity and glycerin/water ratio for each of the samples (A, B, C, and D). All quantities must be reported with an associated uncertainty.
   • Plot the average MSD for all three PVP samples on a single set of log-log axes (0h, 1h, and 3h).
   • Provide a bullet point outline of all calculations and data processing steps.
   4. Discussion
   • How do your viscosity calculations compare to your expectations? (This chart is a useful reference.)
   • What can you infer about the viscoelastic properties of the PVP gels from your MSD plots?
   • Include a thorough discussion of error sources and the approaches to minimize them.