What Does Your Data Mean?

TablesData collected during an experiment should

be recorded in a Table The First column of the table contains the

manipulated variableThe second column of the table contains the

responding Variable

Manipulated Variable Responding Variable

Tables Your table should also have an title to

describe what it is illustrating. Example:

The effect of the brand of the gum on the bubble’s circumference

The effect of the temperature of the gum on the length of stretch.

The effect of the time gum is chewed on the mass of the gum.

Interpreting Data TablesStep One – Read the Title, if there is oneTry to figure out the relationships

between the different columns and rows Characteristics of the Outer Planets

Planet Diameter(Km)

Period of Rotation (Earth Days)

Average distance from Sum

Period of Revolution (Earth years)

Number of Moons

Jupiter 142,800 .41 778,000,000 12 17

Saturn 120,540 .43 1,427,000,000

29 19

Uranus 51,200 .72 2,871,000,000

84 18

Neptune 49,500 .67 4,497,000,000

165 8

Pluto 2,200 6.4 5,913,000,000

248 1

GraphsThe independent

variable is plotted on the x-axis

The dependent variable is plotted on the y-axis

What type of Graph to Use?Pie Charts – They show how

a part or share of something relates to the whole. You can see what fraction or percentage each part represents.

Bar Graphs are used to compare quantities of different things. Each bar stands for an amount of something. The longer the bar, the more there is of that item. You can compare measurements, amounts and changes.

What type of Graph to Use? Line Graphs are made from pairs of numbers. Each

pair expresses a relationship between two factors, or variables. Line graphs help you see patterns or trends in data and changes that occur in related variables.

What type of Graph to Use? Scatterplots are used to present measurements of two

or more related variables. Points are plotted but not joined. The resulting pattern indicates the type and strength of the relationship between two or more variables

• When the data points form a straight line on the graph, the linear relationship between the variables is stronger and the correlation is higher

Graphical RelationshipsPositive Relationship

If the result of the graph results in a positive slope

This relationship is indicating that as “x” (Independent variable) changes “y” (Dependent variable) changes in the same direction

Both variables are increasing

0 2 4 6 8 10 120

5

10

15

20

25

Direct Relationship

Manipulating Variable

Resp

ondin

g V

ari

able

Graphical Relationship Negative Relationship

If the result of the graph results in a negative slope.

This relationship is indicating that as “x” (Independent variable) increases, the “y” (Dependent variable) decreases

They are changing in opposite directions

0 5 10 15 20 250

5

10

15

20

25

Inverse Relationship

Manipulating Varaible

Resp

ondin

g

Vari

a b

le

Graphical Relationship Scatterplot Relationships When a trend line is

drawn, the closer the points come to the line, the greater the relationship is between the variables (direct or inverse). The opposite is also true.A: This shows a strong relationship (correlation) between the variables.

B: This shows no relationship (correlation) between the variables.

Data AnalysisTWO things must be addressed in the

ANALYSIS section of a lab report.1. Relationship between the variables.

a. Positive =

b. Negative=

c. None =

2. Strength of Correlation (how straight the line is)

a. Strong =

b. Weak =

c. None =

Data AnalysisUse data to support analysis.

Ex: According to my data I found a positive

relationship between the time we chewed the gum and the length we stretched the gum. As you can see from my graph, after 1 minute of chewing, the gum only stretched 5 cm, but as we increased the chewing time to 5 minutes, we were able to stretch the gum to 20 cm.

Because the increase of stretch was very consistent, the line on the line graph is straight showing a strong correlation between the two variables.

Reliability and ValidityReliability = Reliability is

the extent to which an experiment, test, or any measuring procedure yields the same result on repeated trials.

Validity =Validity refers to the degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure. There should be no bias.

While reliability is concerned with the accuracy of the actual measuring instrument or procedure, validity is concerned with the study's success at measuring what the researchers set out to measure.

Further StudyWhat is “Further Study”?

It is. . . Where you are going to go next to continue to

study this topic. Ex: Mythbusters found the butter side to land up

more often. However, they are now hypothesizing that it is because of the dent in the bread. FURTHER STUDY would be to test which caused the bread to land up, the dent or the butter.

It is NOT . . . What I could do to improve the test I already

ran