Graphs, Tables, and Data Interpretation
Key exam skills for building tables, choosing graphs, plotting, and describing trends in data.
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Questions Covered in This Set
12 cards to master
Where does the independent variable go in a results table?
In the first column, with the dependent variable in the columns to its right.
How should table headings be written?
As 'Quantity / unit' (e.g. Time / s), with units in the heading only — never beside each number.
What is an anomalous result and what should you do with it?
An outlier that doesn't fit the pattern. Identify it, explain why, and exclude it from the mean (state that you did).
When do you use a line graph?
When both variables are continuous numbers (e.g. time, temperature, mass), with a line of best fit — never dot-to-dot.
When do you use a bar chart?
When the independent variable is categorical (fuel types, battery brands, species); equal-width bars with gaps.
What does the mnemonic SALT stand for?
Scale, Axes, Labels, Title / line of best fit.
What makes a sensible scale for a graph?
Points fill at least half the grid both ways, and the scale rises in easy steps (1, 2, 5, 10) — never 3s or 7s.
What does the gradient of a distance–time graph represent?
Speed. Calculate it from two widely separated points on the line of best fit, show the triangle, and give units.
If a line of best fit passes through (2 s, 10 m) and (8 s, 40 m), what is the gradient?
(40 − 10) / (8 − 2) = 30/6 = 5 m/s.
How do you find the gradient of a curve at an instant?
Draw a tangent to the curve at that point and calculate the gradient of the tangent.
What does a straight line through the origin tell you?
The two variables are directly proportional (a linear relationship).
What does a graph that levels off (plateaus) suggest?
Something has become a limiting factor, so increasing the independent variable no longer has an effect.
