Reading/Making Tables and Graphs Lesson 4

Learning Target I can collect, organize, and analyze data.

Making a Table Tables help us organize information When you draw up a table of your results, the independent variable generally goes in the first column. Remember: the Independent Variable is what the experimenter changes, and the dependent is what they measure

General Tips about Tables Use the correct units Make sure your units are consistent for each variable Keep everything neat!

Making Graphs When collecting data in an experiment or when given data to graph, it’s usually in a table. Remember that the IV is usually in the first column of the table. Essential parts of a graph: Title-Descriptive, but not “cutesy” Key/way to differentiate between multiple sets of data (if needed) Rainfall over time Labeled y-axis with units Dependent Variable Labelled x-axis with units Independent Variable Evenly spaced scales Month

How do I know what kind of graph to make? It depends on the kind of information you are looking for. If you want to Compare values: Bar Graph Example-Population sizes of different tree species in a forest Compare values and see the rate of change (slope) between individual data points: Line Graph Example: Average monthly rainfall in an area (you could also do this as a bar graph, but a line graph clearly shows you the change month-to- month) If you’re looking for an overall trend in the data: Scatter Plot Example: Hours of Study vs. Test Scores (we don’t care about each individual point, because they’re not reliable on their own. We want to know overall, with many data points, do scores increase as studying increases?) There are other types of graphs, but these are the ones you will use most often and see the most on the ACT and in future science classes

Practice, Practice, Practice! The only way to be comfortable making graphs and tables is to do it. A lot!