Prelab guide

We consider the prelab to be an essential part of the class and we absolutely insist on their completion. They cement the key concepts required in the lab and, in our experience, investing in the prelab saves both you and us a lot of precious lab time.

You must submit your prelab on Gradescope by 24 hours before your section time, or at whatever time your TA designates if they specify a different time.

Some prelab questions will be easy, others, not so easy. It's completely normal to be confused about some of these questions, but it's not sufficient to have thought about it without progress. If you're stuck on a prelab, please seek help: ask on Piazza or come to an office hour, with sufficient time for you to get help on the question, so you can maximize the value of your time in the lab.

The course moves at a rapid pace, so you'll often be doing the prelab right after seeing the material for the first time in class. Don't tell anyone we said this, but we'll often work through the prelabs in class.

For this reason, prelabs will be graded on a four-point scale, but the scale is not uniform and not proportional to how much of the lab is completed.

Grade	Credit	Given if
Three	Full	You have answers for every question that clearly demonstrate an understanding of the concept motivating the question. We’ll overlook a couple of minor errors, but definitely not blank or clearly wrong answers. Note, in particular, that valiant unsuccessful efforts are not sufficient to earn this grade. Start early. We want everyone to achieve this grade. It’s okay to be confused—all of us are here to help, and we really want you to complete the prelab.
Two	~60%	You have the vast majority of the prelab under control, but there might be a couple of gaps in questions that aren’t the most critical.
One	~25%	We can see clear sensible attempts in at least half the prelab.
Zero	None	Half of the prelab is incomplete or shows only cursory efforts.