The start of this course: Graphing

Most of what we have been doing the first couple of weeks is to make sure everyone understands the rules for graphing.  And, making sure everyone can interpret the graphs.  This is important because so much information in the sciences, and more, now comes in the form of visual representation.  The preferred mode for this is a graph.

So, it is important to title the graph to let people know what the activity involved.  The labels for the axes, including units, tell the reader what was changed and what was measured.  The trendcurve (which includes a straight line) indicates any trends the data display.  And, the trendcurve equation gives the reader a way to predict future values based on the data.  All in all, the graph provides a way for you to communicate to the reader what you did and what the results indicate.

As we progress through the course, we will see how much information we can obtain from a graph.  Also, we will be able to infer other properties of the system just by looking at the graph.  The next time you generate a graph, keep in mind what you are trying to tell the reader about yourself (how credible a scientist you are) and your experiment (what do the results mean and how reliable they are).

If you are so inclined, feel free to offer ideas and suggestions to the class about graphing (how to, why important, etc.) by posting a Comment to this entry (you'll need to use your university email address).  Until next time, keep practicing your graphing skills.