How Does A Graph Help To Interpret Scientific Data

A very poor, but not unique, example of a graph

This graph is (intentionally) riddled with problems that are commonly seen in student's work. Find out how to avoid these costly mistakes below. — This graph is (intentionally) riddled with bug that are commonly seen in student's piece of work. Find out how to avoid these costly mistakes below.

Mr Guch

Graphs - larn to love them!

I hear this moan more than whatever other - information technology likewise is one of the well-nigh exasperating:

"Why practise we have to draw graphs in Science - it's not maths!"

With Ofsted going on about 'integrated curricula' it is important that students do not see subjects every bit insular and cut off from each other. The skills learnt in Math, English language and Technology are readily and necessarily transferable to the Scientific loonshit.

Graphs are one of the nigh important tools available to scientists (young and old) to brandish data. They are:

Easy to translate
Brandish a large corporeality of information in a small (ish) space
Easy to draw!
Worth LOADS of marks in coursework and in exams (typically 4-8marks)

It is a source of endless annoyance seeing a pupil miss a grade boundary by a couple of marks only to scrutinise the paper and see 3 marks thrown away due to poor graphing. This commodity will take you through the gilt rules of cartoon graphs, applicable to all exam boards, all situations, all the time. They are fifty-fifty upwardly on my classroom wall as my 'Tips for the Top'

Common Mistakes, and how to avert them

At least half the marks for whatever graph question are awarded for presenting your graph according to standard conventions; this is earlier the actual content has even been assessed. Before moving on from any graph question or from a graph section of your coursework, ensure you take followed the vi Graph Commandments

Thou shalt depict your graph in pencil with a ruler.
Thou shalt use all thy graph newspaper.
G shalt label your axes.
Thou shalt always give units.
Thou shalt not depict bar graphs.
Grand shalt non play dot-to-dot with thy data points!

Taking a closer look at that graph - this person has broken five of the six commandments. Even if all their data points are correctly plotted, they have already thrown away half the marks! — Taking a closer look at that graph - this person has broken five of the six commandments. Even if all their information points are correctly plotted, they have already thrown away half the marks!

Be Specific

If you have ticked off each of the Commandments, you are halfway to achieving a good overall mark for this particular graph. But now it is time to choice upwards question specific marks...

Requite your graph a descriptive title. E.g.: A Graph to show the effect of x on y
Ensure you take put your graph the right way around. Your x centrality should ever bear witness the independent variable - this is the variable you are irresolute. Your y axis should always plot the dependent variable - this is the variable you lot are measuring. For example, when looking at the issue of temperature on charge per unit of reaction (a classic chemistry investigation), you alter the temperature and measure the charge per unit. As such, temperature goes on your x axis (information technology is independent) and charge per unit goes on your y centrality (it is dependent)
Ensure you lot plot your data carefully, along the corridor and upward the stairs. Mark your data point with a modest x. If you are plotting multiple information sets on one graph (a prerequisite for the highest marks in some syllabi) then utilize a small o or l or similar to distiguish between data sets.
If plotting multiple data sets, WRITE OUT A Key/LEGEND!
Practice not play dot-to-dot. I know I take stated this before, but I so oft run into jagged connected lines on graphs from my students. Only very rarely are data points connected in this style. More often, we are seeking the trend or pattern that our results show, for that nosotros need...
Draw A LINE OF All-time FIT. These lines laissez passer through or nigh as many information points equally possible. They tin can either be straight lined, or a smooth curve. Look for the design to determine which is about appropriate.
TIP FOR THE TOP: circle your anomalous results (whatever outliers that practice non fit your tendency) and label them in your key/legend. This volition net you actress points for seconds extra work.

A near-perfect graph! Following all of the commandments and many of the higher tier specs too. Beautiful. — A near-perfect graph! Post-obit all of the commandments and many of the college tier specs too. Beautiful.

Mr Guch

Don't forget to ask

Depending on the coursework you are completing, the criteria for accessing the very meridian marks differ. For rates of reaction, you lot are required to observe the gradient of your graph; For osmosis and other biological investigations yous are required to add fault bars; withal other investigations require statistical interventions such as Chi-Squared tests. Graphs are such easy places to pick up precious points that information technology would be foolish to not ask your teacher/lecturer/professor etc what the marking criteria are for the highest echelons. Don't waste marks by not asking - past post-obit all the above advice, you have already attained vi/8 marks: now shoot for the last 2!

Happy Graphing!

Where side by side?

Six Steps to Wonderful Graphs
A wonderful Guide to graphs. Smashing if you want a second opinion or another explanation after reading this guide.
BBC GCSE Bitesize Scientific discipline
Revise GCSE Science from the AQA core and additional, Edexcel, OCR 21st Century core and additional and OCR Gateway syllabuses.
GCSE revision and A level revision
S-cool Revision is the U.k.'s leading Gratuitous revision website. Nosotros provide high quality A Level and GCSE revision guides, revision questions and revision notes to over 3 million students a year!
Dr. Brown Chemical science Revision
A site specifically for Chemistry. Excellent for A level just suitable for GCSE too.

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Read More than From Owlcation

Dr Hassen Aleem on June 05, 2020:

Thank you! this helped my students out alot!

Wrow on May 27, 2020:

Very informative!! :)

Ratdhe on May 21, 2020:

Very nise is it ,it is very helpfull ,information technology is then nise

sdsds on April 03, 2020:

same

ur mom on February 25, 2020:

this is dull im reading it considering my teacher is making me

jeff on November 25, 2019:

what does SALUTE stand for

. on November 07, 2019:

why is this in old fashioned english language?

Aidan Neill on October 22, 2019:

this is great

dumdum on September 26, 2019:

its not and then stride by step

Maybe for next time... on Apr 01, 2019:

u shouldnt say how NOT to do it showtime coz it gets kinda confusing

thank u tho!

What is beloved on February 11, 2019:

What is love

Beast on January 06, 2019:

Add a video on this topic

Evie on November 01, 2018:

Loved it - I'thou gonna ace my chem test!

dontweallhatehomework on September 30, 2018:

Thanks for this;incredibly useful

Ihaterhysbaker on September 06, 2018:

ihaterhysbaker

Ell on June 26, 2018:

Thanks for this commodity! So helpful

Anon on June 13, 2018:

Delight show me how to catechumen a table into a graph

Nafisat ndidi lawal on May 08, 2018:

Thank you because i have at present realised my mistakes.thank a lot

Jaedon Fitisemanu on April 04, 2018:

Thanx Mate

happy tea pot who has a examination in less and then 24 hrs on March 21, 2018:

thank q

dhanush sl on November 26, 2017:

testify the video

Leeds boi xox gossip daughter XD XD on November 23, 2017:

Cheers for help. Got marks off for not drawing graphs correct last fourth dimension. Great aid my center anile friend

Owen bridges yr7 student on November 04, 2017:

this has really helped me with my homework and i can assure you i will come up dorsum to owlcation and learn more ready to do my homework

Male monarch Poop Emoji on October 05, 2017:

I do all my writing in pen. The ink shows up amend, and in my opinion, pens are superior to pencils.

hannah on September 26, 2017:

give thanks you!!!

this is going to help me with graphing in the futurity

ngi ayuk on March 25, 2017:

Thanks

LeisaK on March 20, 2017:

Cheers for the examples. I would suggest putting cypher in the bottom left corner.

Emma on March 18, 2017:

Thank you lot then much. I accept lost and then many marks for my graphs and this has explained them in a way I empathize! Thank you lot so much !

D Hardy on November 10, 2016:

According to AQA Biology all points should exist joined by direct lines

Marcus on November 06, 2016:

Thanks so much have an exam tommorow and had failed previously on graphing so thanks for this should hopefully help me improve

Luize on January 08, 2016:

Commandment number 2 should be: G shalt requite your graph a heading!

Well done. I'm busy with an all-encompassing handout for my kids and was looking for examples of line graphs when I stumbled upon your page. This is well summarized - skilful job!

helpmewithschool on August 16, 2015:

ive been freaking out over a exam tomorrow and couldnt find some of these answers anywhere so give thanks you and so much im incredibly grateful. you fabricated me then happy i decided to get an account here just then i could comment on this and thank you lot. please proceed making really great hubs

christian eneojo on March 03, 2015:

impressive data...

tine on January 24, 2015:

Aye but how you draw it?

TM on February 16, 2013:

all teachers continue explaining this to me but i never become information technology,i just got it now!thank you!

Rhys Bakery (author) from Peterborough, UK on March xix, 2012:

"I'yard also not sure why there's no championship to your graphs"

For my commencement and third graphs in that location are titles :South The 2nd graph deliberately doesn't have one. Thank you for the comment. Yous would be surprised how oft degree level students forget the basics!

freemarketingnow from California on March 17, 2012:

I'm non sure why I can't describe bar graphs. I'grand also not certain why there'south no title to your graphs. Otherwise, this looks practiced for someone in uncomplicated school or inferior loftier. Good work for a first hub!

Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on February 01, 2012:

I was just teaching the importance of proper graph structure to a grade 4 class, they were working primarily with bar graphs yet simply the principle remains the same. Fantastic resource.

Rhys Baker (writer) from Peterborough, UK on January 08, 2012:

Thank you for your kind words :)

bloggernotjogger from La Cala de Mijas, Espana on January 08, 2012:

Dainty hub,

I voted up considering the hub explained everything the title said it would. The links at the top are groovy too. I have more than textile to read.

Rhys Bakery (author) from Peterborough, UK on December 25, 2011:

@Ms Dee - huge thanks for your specific comments - really helpful. I volition try to keep this as a standard for my hubs

@rjsadowski: Couldn't agree more

Rhys Baker (author) from Peterborough, UK on Dec 25, 2011:

Many of my pupils come to secondary school with a good idea of how to depict bar graphs...and nothing else. Every bit such, they plot bar graphs at all times (talk virtually annoying!) Hence my 5th commandment. Bar graphs are only suitable when graphing the results of a tally chart (categories vs frequency) and are used extremely infrequently nearly Yr7 in Science.

@FitnezzJim - I agree RE graphing on PCs (although Excel and Minitab are even so very poor at drawing lines of best fit) has now get a norm - for skilful or ill. All the same, until all exams and coursework are submitted by PC, the more 'archaic' methods are nevertheless relevent...and you would exist gobsmacked how many pupils submit graphs fatigued on lined or plain paper, in pen, without a ruler. GRRR! :)

Cheers for the kind words so far. I'm glad I am making myself useful.

FitnezzJim from Fredericksburg, Virginia on December 24, 2011:

My goodness, I use graphs all the time to quickly and intuitively convey messages. Unfortunately, I suppose I no longer follow the rules, although I was taught all those rules when I was growing up.

Present, a skillful graph can be done in Excel (and so out goes the newspaper and pencil rules). I effort to label the plots and axes, but truth to say, I nigh always go comments to make them more readable (bad habit ... when y'all know what you plotted, and are expecting to tell the story when yous are sharing the graph, so the verbal part is usually when the axes get labelled for the viewer. It'due south office of a technique to appoint the audience while presenting). So the units and labelling rules are often cleaved. Bar graphs have their identify, only not for the plots I make. The connect the dots rule commonly does not get cleaved since the information is about every bit random as the stock market, with both the independent and dependent variables showing randomness. Those sort of graphs look like scribbles if yous connect the dots.

Great Hub, and first-class bespeak that graphs are just another of the many tools a good mathematics person can depict on to assistance convey messages obscured in data.

Welcome to Hub Pages.

rjsadowski on December 24, 2011:

A very useful hub. People don't graph data enough, probably because they don't know how. Think the words of that bully philosopher, Hugh Heffner, "Ane picture is worth a g words".

Deidre Shelden from Texas, United states on December 24, 2011:

What a Corking kickoff hub! I'm impressed. I've not seen an article about this before. What is the reason backside the 5th commandment? I'chiliad curious. A skilful title is so very important and y'all seem to have a skilful ane here :). If information technology were me, I would not put whatsoever more than links in than yous already accept. You lot have not gone overboard on the tags, either. So, great job!

Rhys Baker (author) from Peterborough, Great britain on December 23, 2011:

This is my first hub so please comment! Any improvements, suggestions or criticisms are gratefully received.