1 The Purpose

Labs are intended to help you understand the material covered in the lectures and readings.

2 Types of Labs

Most labs involve guided "experiments" that are designed to help you discover/realize things that you might otherwise be unaware of. Other labs are designed to give you additional experience with a topic or help you acquire skills.

3 Mechanics of Labs

When completing a lab, regardless of type, you must complete each step and answer each question in order. In most labs, subsequent steps/questions depend critically on previous steps/questions having been completed/answered correctly. So, don't skip any steps/questions and read each step/question very carefully.

Despite this, you can complete a lab even if you make a mistake answering a question that requires you to write code, because the correct answers to every question are provided.

So, here's the best way to proceed on questions that require you to write code:

1. Complete the steps leading up to the next question.
2. Answer the question. (Note: You may or may not need to type your answer in the lab itself depending on whether it is being submitted or not. See the link on the course "Policies" page to "Lab Policies" for the specifics of this course.)
3. Click on the icon to check your answer and see if it is correct.
4. If your answer isn't correct, try to understand the correct answer, but, even if you can't, fix any code you've written so that it corresponds to the correct answer (so that you can proceed to the next question).