Fundamentals of Graphing – Interactive tutorial

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Identify the variables

1. Volume of alkali is the independent variable.
2. The dependent variable is precipitation (inches of rain).
3. Mass, the dependent variable, should be plotted on the y axis.
4. The independent variable, time (hours), should be plotted on the x axis.
5. Cell concentration is the dependent variable.
6. Time is usually an independent variable, but here it is a measure of the rate at which a population of bacteria grows under a particular set of conditions.

Choose a plot type

For each situation choose one type of plot that will most effectively present the data.

1. A titration curve of pH versus volume of alkalai.

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XY (scatter) area doughnut other

2. A daily precipitation log

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3. A plot of animal mass versus dietary group (three groups including control and two different diets).

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XY (scatter) area doughnut other

4. For the "planet hunting" study measuring light intensity from a star versus time in hours.

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XY (scatter) area doughnut other

5. A plot of cell population over time in a bacterial culture.

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XY (scatter) area doughnut other

*6. To determine the influence of temperature on bacterial growth during the log phase, you will plot time to reach half maximal population density (halfway to the stationary phase) versus temperature.

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XY (scatter) area doughnut other

7. For a newspaper article you intend to present the results of a popular poll, displaying different size "slices" of the population holding different opinions.

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