Name: ______Class:______Date:______

Pre-Graph Planning -KEEP A COPY IN YOUR NOTEBOOKS

A bar graph is used whenIV data is expressed in words.
Example below: IV = department (electronics, medical, music, clothing, services) / A line graph is used whenIV data is expressed in numbers.
Example below: IV = time in minutes
(0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100)

STEPS FOR MAKING GRAPHS:

1. Look at the type of data in the table. Look at the data for your IV (X axis),what is the best type of graph for the data?

2. Identify the cause/IV- this goes on your X axis (Horizontal ------). Label the X axis with the description of the IV data, make sure to include the units!

3. Identify the effect/DV- this goes on your Y axis (Vertical ) Label the Y axis with the description of the DV data. Make sure to include the units!

4. Determine the range of numbers (the lowest is 0 and the highest is the largest number in the data table for the IV) that you need to have on your X axis.

5. Determine the best increments to count by on your X axis to make sure that you cover the range of numbers that you need (what are you counting by on the axis, 1,2,5,10…?)The increments need to be spaced equally along the axis in numerical order.

6. Determine the range of numbers (the lowest is 0 and the highest is the largest number in the data table for the DV) that you need to have on your Y axis.

7. Determine the best increments to count by on your Y axis to make sure that you cover the range of numbers that you need (what are you counting by on the axis, 1,2,5,10…?) The increments need to be spaced equally along the axis in numerical order.

8. Title your graph – You should mention your IV and DV in the title; A typical format is IV (X axis label) vs. DV (Y axis label).

See back for examples

Example 1: Data Table: Type of Candy vs. Amount of Sugar

Type of Candy / Amount of Sugar (mg)
M&Ms / 20
Skittles / 40
Candy Corn / 50
  1. The data for the IV is expressed in words (M&Ms, Skittles, Candy Corn) so a bar graph is the best choice.
  1. The X axis (horizontal) is labeled with candy type since that is the IV.
  1. The Y axis (vertical) is labeled with amount of sugar and the units (mg)since that is the DV
  1. There is not a range of numbers for the X axis, but you need to make sure the bars for each candy type are spaced out evenly.
  1. The range of numbers for the y axis needs to cover from 0 – 50 and they should be spaced out evenly on the Y axis. Counting by 10’s works well.
  1. The title of the graph: Type of Candy vs. Amount of Sugar

Example 2:

Data Table: Exercise vs. Weight Loss

Amount of Exercise time per day(hours) / Weight loss ( kg)
0 / 0
1 / 2
2 / 4
  1. The data for the IV is expressed in numbers (0,1,2) so a line graph is the best choice.
  1. The X axis (horizontal) is labeled with Amount of Exercise time per day since that is the IV. The units are hours
  1. The Y axis (vertical) is labeled with Weight loss since that is the DV. The units are kg.
  1. The range of numbers for the X axis must cover from 0-2 and should be evenly spaced on the axis. Counting by .5 works best.
  1. The range of numbers for the y axis needs to cover from 0 - 4 and they should be spaced out evenly on the Y axis. Counting by .5 works well.
  1. The title of the graph: Exercise vs. Weight Loss