ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lab notebook

A lab notebook is like a special book that scientists use to write down everything that they do in their experiments.

Imagine that you are a scientist, and you want to mix some liquids together to see what happens. Before you even start mixing, you would write down the names of the liquids you are using, how much of each one you are using, and any other important information about them.

Then, as you mix the liquids together, you would write down what happens at every step. For example, if the mixture turns blue, you would write that down. If it starts to bubble or smell funny, you would write that down too.

But that's not all! You would also draw pictures or make diagrams to show what the mixture looks like at different times. And if there were any problems or mistakes, you would write those down too, so you can remember to fix them next time.

The lab notebook is really important because it helps scientists keep track of everything they do in their experiments. Later on, when they want to write a report or explain their findings to others, they can look back at their notebook and see exactly what they did and what happened.

So, the lab notebook is like a special diary that helps scientists remember all the important details of their experiments.