Lecture: Graphing Rules

• 1. Use only pencil: no computer graphs

• 2. Use only graph paper

• 3. Title at the top that describes what the graph is representing: use x and y axis as a guide

• 4. All lines made with a straight edge

• 5. Two axis:

x=horizontal: independent variable?

y=vertical: dependant variable?

• 6. Each axis must have two descriptions of what is being represented:

1) variable and

2) the unit in which is graphed.

• 7. Graph data occupies at least half of the graph paper for both the x and y axis data: work BIG

• 8. All of the graph fits on to the page within the axis boundaries: no paper add-ons

• 9. scaling axis: identify max and min of data to begin scales for each axis,

find their difference and divide by the # of axis lines(see wkst 2.3 as a guide)

• 10. Axis interval does not change and does not have to begin at zero

• 11. Data points are represented by dots and the dots are connected with straight lines for a line graph. “Best fit lines” are drawn on scatter plots.

• 12. Multiple lines require different symbols or different colors for different data

• 13. Multiple lines require an index/key which is within a box and is next to the graph

• 14. types of graphs: line/scatter, bar, pie