1. Presenting Scientific Data
Scientists accumulate vast amounts of data by observing events and making measurements.
Interpreting this data can be a difficult task if they are not organized.
Scientists can organize their data by using data tables and graphs.

2. Data Tables Data tables organize information Title Units
Descriptive Header
Rows
Cell
Columns

3. Use a Ruler & a Pencil
My BAD

4. What’s Wrong With This Data Table?

5. Graphs
Graphs and charts are great because they communicate information visually. For this reason, graphs are often used in newspapers, magazines and businesses around the world.
Sometimes, complicated information is difficult to understand and needs an illustration. Graphs or charts can help impress people by getting your point across quickly and visually.

6. Graphs make a “picture” of the data
Trends
Comparisons
Relationships
They compare the amount of change to related variables

7. “Good” Graph or “Bad” Graph?

9. Average Daily Temperature for January 1-7 in Degrees Fahrenheit
Date
Temperature 1 10 2 25 3 30 4 42 5 23 6 7 40

10. Sunspots

11. Mean # of Sunspots from 1700 to 2006 (So many #’s that we need to show it on 3 slides)

12. More Sunspot #’s

13. More #’s, #’s, #’s, #’s!!! I Know, Let’s Make a Picture of all of these #’s! Let’s Make a Graph!

14. A Graph Makes a “Picture” of all of those numbers!

15. # of Sunspots the last 100 years

16. Types of Graphs

17. Line Graphs When the Independent Variable is Quantitative (#’s)

18. Bar Graphs When the Independent Variable is Qualitative (words)

19. Bar Graph (2 sets of data)

20. Circle/Pie Graphs
Compare Percentages

21. Bad Graph Size

22. Good Graph Size

23. Use a Ruler & Pencil (a Sharp Pencil)

24. Axis’s Y X

25. Axis’s Ve t i c a l
Horizontal

26. Axis’s
Dependent
Independent

27. When plotting the points, use small but obvious points
When plotting the points, use small but obvious points. (No big Markers)

28. Bad Y Axis Scale (Maybe)

29. Maybe there is no change
My Foot Size
The last 30 Years

30. Don’t add boxes to your graph paper. Change your scale.

31. Put the #’s on a line, not in a box. Use “tick marks”
My Bad
Tick marks
My Good

32. Bad X Axis Scale

33. What’s Wrong With This Scale?

34. Use the same scale for each square
Use the same scale for each square! (The X & Y axis can have different scales)

35. NO “Breaks” NO

36. Good Scale
Every “box” = 10
Every “box” = 5

37. Do Not Dot to Dot
Is the 0,0
Significant?

38. Use “Best Fit” Lines

39. “Best Fit” Curve

40. List 10 Things That Are Wrong With This Graph

41. Length of Tom & Dave’s Right Foot Over the First 20 years

42. Average PSA Attendance
Average yearly PSA student attendance since your PSA teacher has been allowed to wear jeans on Fridays
Average PSA Attendance
(%)
Years you PSA teacher allowed to wear jeans on Fridays.