Analyzing and Presenting Data

For this activity, you will have a lot of choice and freedom in what kind of data you'd like to collect. You will need to use the simulation below to collect some data related to energy. You will then take that data and enter it into a spreadsheet where you can analyze it and graph it. Because this is simulated data, the data will likely be very uniform and won't have any error or variation in it - this means that it will look very uniform. Your second task will be to collect some physics data from around your house (for example, dropping a ball or other object from different heights, videotaping a bouncy ball next to a ruler/meter-stick/measuring-tape, etc.). The goal is to collect data in a spreadsheet, analyze it using an excel function, and also presenting it in a graphical form.

Part 1:

Using the following simulation, select the 'Measure' option and using the start and pause button and the 'data collection tool' collect data points from the skater. There are infinite possibilities in the data points that you may collect, so get creative. Please collect your data in a spreadsheet and do some form of data analysis using a spreadsheet function tool. Also, ensure you create a properly formatted graph/figure (click here for APA guidelines for Figures/Graphs).

Part 2:

On a second sheet in your Excel file start another data table for the data that you would like to collect from around your house. This data will be more true 'experimental data' since you will be collecting data manually and not from a computerized simulation. Follow the same steps from Part 1 for collecting your data, analyzing it somehow, and then representing it graphically. Also include a brief description of what you did and how you collected your data.

Excel File Template

To summarize, things to include in your Excel File submission:

• The first sheet should contain:
  • data that you collected from the simulation below using the 'measure' option.
  • At least one cell of 'data analysis' where you used an excel formula (=function) to calculate something meaningful from your data.
  • An explanation of the analysis you did and what the results mean related to your data.
  • A graphical representation (including a line of best fit) of your data using proper APA formatting
• The second sheet should contain:
  • An explanation of the procedure you did to collect the data
  • the raw data that you collected from your experiment
  • At least one cell of 'data analysis' where you used an excel formula (=function) to calculate something meaningful from your data.
  • An explanation of the analysis you did and what the results mean related to your data.
  • A graphical representation (including a line of best fit) of your data using proper APA formatting