2.1.7

Displaying Data

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Displaying Data in Tables & Graphs

We need to make sure that any data we collect is able to be understood by those who have not taken the measurements.

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Tables and graphs

  • Tables and graphs should have a title that concisely describes what is being shown.
  • To label table columns or graph axes, we write the symbol of the physical quantity we have measured, followed by a forward slash, and then its units.
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Physical quantities and units

  • The numbers in the table and on the axes should be written without any units.
  • Physical quantities consist of a number multiplied by its unit, so you can think of the graph heading as being the quantity divided by the unit, leaving the number on its own.
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Labelling tables

  • When recording the speeds of objects, the speed column should have the heading v/ms1v/ms^{-1}.
  • The numbers in the table should be written without any units.
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Labelling graphs

  • The axes of a graph should be labelled in the same way as table columns.
  • The numbers that form the scale of the axes should be written without any units.
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Scale

  • If the data points are very large or very small, it can be useful to divide by a common power of 10 from all of the values in order to display them in a table or on a graph.
  • You must include the factor in the units on the column heading or axes label.
  • For example, if you were to measure speeds of 300, 500, and 600, you could write them in a table as 3, 5, and 6, with a label of v/102ms1v\,/\,10^2ms^{-1}.

Jump to other topics

1Physical Quantities & Units

2Measurement Techniques

3Kinematics

4Dynamics

5Gravitational Fields

6Deformation of Solids

7Thermal Physics

8Oscillations

9Communication

10Electric Fields

11Current Electricity

12Magnetic Fields

13Modern Physics

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