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*2 : an [[academic]] period set aside for laboratory [[work]]
*2 : an [[academic]] period set aside for laboratory [[work]]
==Description==
==Description==
A '''laboratory''' (informally, lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which [[scientific]] [[research]], [[experiments]], and [[measurement]] may be [[performed]]. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the [[processes]] or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories. These notably include:
* the film laboratory or darkroom
* the computer lab
* the medical lab
* the clandestine lab for the production of illegal drugs
In recent years [[government]] and [[private]] centers for innovation in [[learning]], [[leadership]] and [[organization]] have adopted "lab" in their [[name]] to emphasize the experimental and [[research]]-[[oriented]] [[nature]] of their [[work]].
Scientific laboratories can be found in schools and [[universities]], in [[industry]], in [[government]] or military facilities, and even aboard ships and spacecraft. A laboratory might offer [[work]] [[space]] for just one to more than thirty researchers depending on its size and [[purpose]].
==Characteristics of scientific laboratories
Labs used for [[scientific]] [[research]] take many [[forms]] because of the [[differing]] requirements of specialists in the various fields of science. A [[physics]] lab might contain a [[particle accelerator]] or [[vacuum chamber]], while a metallurgy lab could have apparatus for casting or refining metals or for testing their [[strength]]. A [[chemist]] or [[biologist]] might use a wet laboratory, while a [[psychologist]]'s lab might be a room with one-way mirrors and hidden cameras in which to [[observe]] [[behavior]]. In some laboratories, such as those commonly used by computer scientists, computers (sometimes supercomputers) are used for either [[simulations]] or the [[analysis]] of [[data]] collected elsewhere. Scientists in other fields will use still other [[types]] of laboratories. Despite the great [[differences]] among laboratories, some features are common. The use of workbenches or countertops at which the scientist may [[choose]] to either sit or stand is a common way to ensure comfortable working conditions for the [[researcher]], who may spend a large portion of his or her working day in the laboratory. The provision of cabinets for the storage of laboratory equipment is quite common. It is [[traditional]] for a scientist to [[record]] an [[experiment]]'s [[progress]] in a laboratory notebook, but modern labs almost always contain at least one computer workstation for [[data]] [[collection]] and [[analysis]].
[[Category: The Sciences]]
[[Category: The Sciences]]