Your guide to a winning display.How do you keep track of the data from your science experiment? And how do you turn the collected information into something visually interesting, such as charts and graphs? First, read "Skeeter skee·ter n. Chiefly Southern U.S. See mosquito. See Regional Note at possum. [Shortening and alteration of mosquito.] Slayer" (p. 18). Then, follow this step-by-step guide to practice making tables, graphs, and charts. 1. DATA TABLE Use a data table to record your experiment findings. An organized data table should list your independent variables clearly. It should also have blank spaces Noun 1. blank space - a blank area; "write your name in the space provided" space, place surface area, expanse, area - the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary; "the area of a rectangle"; "it was about 500 square feet in area" for you to fill in the data from your experiment. Suppose you want to find out how different activities affect heart rate. The different activities you choose are your independent variables. And heart rate is your dependent variable. To make a data table: 1. Draw a blank data table. 2. Give your table a title that identifies your variables ("The Effect of Different Activities on Heart Rate"). 3. Label the column on the left as the independent variable (Type of Activity). Underneath, list the different activities you used for the independent variable (Resting, Rollerblading Noun 1. rollerblading - skating using Rollerblades roller skating - skating on wheels , and Weightlifting). 4. Label the columns to the right as the dependent variable [Heart Rate (beats per minute beats per minute Cardiac pacing The unit of measure for the frequency of heart depolarizations or contractions each minute–or pulse rate )]. Draw boxes under these columns in which you can record the results of each trial for each activity. 5. Include columns at the far right to record your average heart rate for each activity. To calculate the average rate for an activity, simply add the heart rates of all trials. Then divide the total by the number of trials. Your Turn: Complete the data table by calculating the average heart rate for rollerblading and weightlifting. 2. BAR GRAPH graph, figure that shows relationships between quantities. The graph of a function y=f (x) is the set of points with coordinates [x, f (x)] in the xy-plane, when x and y are numbers. Use a bar graph to compare trends in your data. A bar graph is a great way to show how the independent variables stack up stack n. 1. A large, usually conical pile of straw or fodder arranged for outdoor storage. 2. An orderly pile, especially one arranged in layers. See Synonyms at heap. 3. against each other. The graph on the next page compares how different activities affect heart rate. To make a bar graph: 1. On graph paper, draw a set of axes axes [L., Gr.] plural of axis. The straight lines which intersect at right angles and on which graphs are drawn. Usually the horizontal axis is the x-axis and the vertical one the y-axis. Called also axes of reference. (x and y). 2. Give your bar graph a title ("The Effect of Different Activities on Heart Rate"). 3. Label the horizontal (x) axis with your independent variable (Type of Activity), including a label of each activity (Resting, Rollerblading, and Weightlifting). 4. Label the vertical (y) axis with your dependent variable ]Heart Rate (beats per minute)] and a scale from 0 to at least the highest number in your dependent variable results. 5. For each independent variable, draw a solid bar to the height of the corresponding value of the dependent variable. Example: The average heart t rate for resting is 84 beats per minute. Draw a bar above the "Resting" label on the x-axis See x-y matrix. to the 84-beats-per-minute mark on the y-axis See X-Y matrix. . Your Turn: Use the information that you calculated for the data table to complete the bar graph (shown). 3. LINE GRAPH In graph theory, the line graph L(G) of an undirected graph G is a graph such that
Use a line graph to pinpoint changes in your data. Choose a line graph when you want to see how continuous changes to the independent variable affect the dependent variable. For example, instead of comparing activities, you choose to focus on how heart rate changes over a continuous period of time spent rollerblading. The independent variable is now the time spent rollerblading, and the dependent variable is the heart rate. To make a line graph: 1. On graph paper, draw a set of axes (x and y). 2. Give your line graph a title ("The Effect of Time Spent Rollerblading on Heart Rate"). 3. Label the x-axis with your independent variable [Time Spent Rollerblading (in minutes)]. Use a scale with the values of the independent variable (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.). 4. Label the y-axis with your dependent variable [Heart Rate (beats per minute)]. Use a scale from 0 to at least the highest number in your dependent variable results.
The Effect of Different Activities
on Heart Rate
Type of Activity Heart Rate (beats per minute)
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
Resting 84 85 83 84
Rollerblading 156 150 162
Weightlifting 120 105 114
5. Plot a point on the graph for each piece of data. Example: Suppose your heart rate after 2 minutes of rollerblading was 140 beats per minute. To locate this point on your graph, draw an imaginary Imaginary can refer to:
See also: Horizontal from the 140-beats-perminute mark on the y-axis. Plot the point where the lines intersect In a relational database, to match two files and produce a third file with records that are common in both. For example, intersecting an American file and a programmer file would yield American programmers. . 6. After you've you've Contraction of you have. you've you have you've have plotted the points for all your data, connect the points. Your Turn: Use the following information to complete the line graph (shown on TE 6). The heart rate before rollerblading is 84 beats per minute. After 4 minutes of rollerblading, the heart rate climbs to 156. After 6 minutes, the heart rate is 160. 4. PIE CHART A graphical representation of information in which each unit of data is represented as a pie-shaped piece of a circle. See business graphics. Use a pie chart to illustrate numbers expressed in percentages of a whole. A pie chart is a circle divided into wedge-shaped sections. The circle represents 100 percent. The wedges represent data that are percentages of a whole. Suppose you took a class poll asking students which activity they prefer: resting, rollerblading, or weightlifting. The number of students you surveyed represents 100 percent. And each activity, as selected by the percentage of students, represents a different wedge of the pie chart. To make a pie chart: 1. Use a compass to draw a circle. 2. Give your pie chart a title ("Activity That Students Prefer"). 3. Mark the center of the circle with a point; this is where each pie pie, meat, fish, fowl, fruit, or vegetables baked with a crust of pastry, or pastry shells filled with custard or pudding. The pies of the Romans, especially at banquets in the days of the empire, were often elaborate concoctions, such as the showpieces in which were "slice," or wedge, will start. 4. Measure a wedge for each independent variable (Resting, Rollerblading, or Weightlifting). First, convert your data from percentages to angle degrees. Example: If 10 percent of students prefer weightlifting, the pie wedge for weightlifting would be 10 percent of the 360[degrees] circle, or 36[degrees] (360 x. 1 = 36). Position a protractor protractor Instrument for constructing and measuring plane angles. The simplest protractor is a semicircular disk marked in degrees from 0° to 180°. A more complex protractor, for plotting position on navigation charts, is called a three-arm protractor, or station at the center point of the circle. Mark 0[degrees] and 36[degrees] angles with points on the edge of the circle. Draw a line from each of the two points to the center of the circle. 5. Label the wedge (include its percentage). 6. Measure your next wedge from the edge of the first. When finished, the entire circle should be filled and add up to 360[degrees]. Your Turn: Suppose that 50 percent of the polled students prefer resting, and 40 percent prefer rollerblading. Use this information to complete the pie chart (shown). Activity That Students Prefer Weight-lifting 10% Note: Table made from pie chart. ANSWERS 1. DATA TABLE rollerblading: 156; weightlifting: 113 2. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 4. Activity That Students Prefer Rollerblading 40% Resting 50% Weightlifting 10% Note: Table made from pie chart. |
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