Set up your data table and enter data
You can enter column headings for the data table by clicking on each field in the column heading and typing values:
Column name: text name for the quantity in this column
units: the units of measurement for this quantity if the column is a number
variable: an abbreviated name for the quantity, such as t for time, or T for temperature.
Click the three dot menu on a row or column to see what options you have:
Column Settings lets you configure how data is displayed, such as numerical or text, as well as how many significant figures, scientific notation etc.
Change Column Formula lets you use a formula to calculate values for this column.
Insert Column Right, Insert Column Left, or Remove Column
To clear data from your data table, click the gear icon in the top-left corner of the table. Note that this option will NOT appear to an instructor doing an assignment in Preview mode. It will only appear to students working on the assignment.
Add more columns, and create columns with formulas
If needed, you can add additional columns, or add formulas to columns to do calculations on your data.
Calculate a Total, Median, Standard Deviation, or Mean
You can calculate one or more of the following quantities for all values within a column: total, median, standard deviation, and mean. Simply click Calculate at the bottom of a column and select the value you'd like to calculate.
Create your Graph
If your graph settings don't look like what you see below, then you'll need to see our help article on the new graphing tool.
Once you've got your data collected you can set up your graph:
You can plot multiple columns on the vertical axis. When you click on the Vertical Axis to configure it, you'd get an option to "Add Columns" and can then choose up to 5 columns.
You can add additional graphs using the +Add Another Graph button below your data table. You can graph additional data from the same data table.
Apply a Curve Fit
If you want to see if your data follows a mathematical pattern, you can use a curve fit:
In the previous version of the graphing tool there was a button for linear regression. That has been replaced by the following steps:
click the cog at the upper right of the graph
select Curve Fit
choose Linear
click Done
The equation for the line will appear below the graph with curve fit parameters A and B
"A" represents the slope of the line.
"B" represents the y-intercept of the line
RMSE stands for Root Mean Squared Error and it tells you how closely the fit matches the data. A lower RMSE generally means a closer fit.
To display uncertainty with the fit, check the Display Curve Fit Uncertainty box.
You can click on data points on the graph to include/exclude them from the curve fit calculations.
Lastly, here are instructions on converting a position vs time graph to a velocity vs time graph
As a student, your data always saves as you go so you can return to your work later to continue or revise.
Using LaTeX in table headers
Students can use LaTeX in table headers to better format variables and expressions.
Click the header you want to edit
Change the Text dropdown to LaTeX
Type in the LaTeX expression
If this feature doesn't appear to students, then the instructor must enable it by editing the activity:
Find the activity in your library
Click Edit
Click Activity Content
Find the section with the data table and click to expand it
Find the data table component and click to expand it.
Click Table & Graph Settings
Check the Show Formula Bar box
Click Confirm
Click Save at the top of the page.
