Yes, that’s right. I know we’re in science. You still need to do math.
MATH AND GRAPHS IN SCIENCE
Estimation
An approximation of a number based on reasonable assumptions.
Everyone take a guess! Winner gets 2
tickets!!!!
Estimation! (The art of guessing!)
How many marbles???
Accuracy
How close a measurement is to the true or actual value.
AccuracyAll aimed for bulls eye: all in
Reproducible
How close a group of measurements are to each other.
ReproducibilityThis is also reproducible. What if the darts were in a corner?
What is this??
Neither!!!
Accurate? Reproducible?
Sig-Figs:
This measurement includes all digits that have been measured exactly plus one digit whose value has been estimated.
How many sig-figs ???
Significant Figures! My phone is 4.75 inches long!
3!!!!!
Precision
This tells you how exact your measurement is.
4.7563 inches long
Precision, precision, precision.
Which is more precise?
My phone is 4.75 inches longOR
My phone is 4.7563 inches long
Yep, more math… almost done!!
(it’s worth it, trust me)
Graphs: A visual representation of
your data (easiest way to know what your data is “saying”)
Origin Where the two axes meet
(where the graph starts)
Origin
Horizontal Axis (x-axis) Think “Horizon” as in-
what you see when you watch the sunset!
This axis should be labeled with the manipulated variable.
Vertical Axis (y-axis) Think “the other one”
This axis should be labeled with the responding variable.
Coordinates A pair of numbers used to
determine the position of a point on a graph
This is used in locations on a map as well (maps are just like graphs!!)
Data Points The point where the
coordinates intersect (points of data that are plotted on a graph)
What is it?? A smooth line that reflects
the general pattern of a graph
Why is it useful?? This allows you to see the
general trend of the data.
Linear Graph: The linear graph is a
result of the data points falling in a straight line naturally on the graph. This data is very
predictable
Non-Linear Graph: Any graph who’s data
points don’t naturally land on a straight line. This is most typical of
graphs
Slope:
The steepness of the graph line The slope of the line tells
you how much “y” changes for every change in “x”
To calculate the slope, use the following equation:
Slope = Rise/Run
Saw Tooth= BAD!!!!!In science, we never have a broken graph
(saw tooth). This is how people make graphs look
misleading! Most people will use a saw tooth because it
makes their graph look more interesting. This is why you should NOT do that! If it’s a boring graph, it’s boring for a reason and should reflect your boring data!!
DON’T BE MISLEADING!!!
Let’s Analyze Some Graphs!
• What Do you notice about these graphs?
• What’s good about them?
• What’s bad about them?
• What are they telling you?
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