Excel - Graphing Lab Data

After a couple of days of practicing Excel with preset data and worksheets, it is important to also provide students with an opportunity to create the data that they will analyze. To do this, I use two simple mini labs that require students to study a relationship that is revealed when creating a data table and graph. These labs are both hands on and pretty easy to grasp without requiring lots of materials or set up.

This worksheet provides the instructions and analysis questions to guide student work. For these labs, students are expected to create their own data tables and graphs to answer the required questions.

Graphing Mini Labs (pdf)
File Size:	340 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Graphing Mini Labs (editable)
File Size:	57 kb
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For extra help introducing how to use Excel for graphing, see the post about Graphing in Excel.

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#1 | Put a Lid on it!

Student Instructions
​Measure the diameter and circumference of nine different lids and record your measurements in a data table on excel. It helps to use a piece of paper or a string to wrap around the circumference and then straighten out the string and measure it with a meter stick
You can use the table on the right as an example when you set up your worksheet. When you are entering in your data, do not put units with the numbers (that’s what the column headings are for)
Create a scatter plot of the data and add a trendline with an equation. Diameter should end up on the x-axis.

Analysis Questions

1. What is the equation given by Excel?
   
2. What is the slope of the data?
3. What is the mathematical equation you generally use to find the circumference of a circle when you know the diameter? (google it if you don’t know)
4. As you might have noticed from the circumference equation and the value of your slope, we expect this slope value to be close to the value of π (3.14). Calculate your percent error using pi as the accepted value 

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#2 | All Tied Up in Knots!

Student Instructions
Obtain a piece of string between 75 cm and 100 cm long and measure its length using a meter stick. Tie 5 knots in the string and measure again. Repeat for a total of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 knots

​Create a scatter plot of the data and add a trendline with an equation. 

Analysis Questions

1. What is the equation given by excel?
   
2. What is the slope of the data (with units) and what does it mean? 
   
3. What is the Y-Intercept? What does the y-intercept represent in this string example? 
   
4. Rewrite the equation using N to represent the number of knots and L to represent the string length. 
   
5. How would the equation change if you started with a string that was 500 cm long? 
   
6. According to your equation, how much length would the 500 cm string theoretically lose after tying 100 knots?

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Files

Graphing Mini Labs (pdf)
File Size:	340 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Graphing Mini Labs (editable)
File Size:	57 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

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Graphing Mini Labs.xlsx
File Size:	9 kb
File Type:	xlsx

Download File

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​Follow the links below to get details and materials for the rest of this 4-day unit on Excel

​Incorporating Excel on the iPad

​Day 1: Solving with Formulas

​Day 2: Graphing from Data

​​Day 3: Graphing Data Collected from a Lab

​​Day 4: Excel Skills Assessment​