1. Add to syllabus chat…teaching how to think, not memorize. Regardless of whether it’s a physics course, employers will want some who can think and process. Even if you work a mundane job, advancement will still go to those who can think.

2. How to create a proper graph for Physics lab work

4. Maximize your graph paper. Utilize about 90% of the page. The tree has already been sacrificed, so don’t worry about conservation.

5. Include a descriptive title

6. Include units AND label each axis

7. Choose scales appropriately: Note on this graph each square on the y-axis equals 1 cm (not 3, 7.5, etc). Each square on the x-axis equals 50 g (not 25, 33.3, etc). Scales can be different for each axis

8. Plot each data point with a small dot and a “point protector” (do not plot as just a dot)

9. Draw the line (or curve) of best fit. This line goes “through the middle” of the data, showing the underlying pattern. The line of best fit may or may not actually hit the data (do not “connect the dots”).

10. Curve Fitting & Best Fit

11. #1#2 #3 #4

12. Best Fit lines: Do not have to pass through origin Are an average of the data points Do not have to pass through any data points Never connect the dots! #3

13. Find slope of the best fit line if asked and SHOW WORK on graph. Identify TWO points chosen off of best fit line and show slope triangle. Slope is just a number in math class. However, it has physical meaning in physics & usually has units associated with it. In this case the slope should read: 0.032 cm/g