Physics Lab Data Analysis

Spring 2018

1/16/2018 1
Data Analysis for Physics Lab

o The construction of graphs is a very important technique in

experimental physics.

o Graphs provide a compact and efficient way of displaying the

functional relationship between two experimental parameters and
of summarizing experimental results

1/16/2018 2
Data Analysis for Physics Lab
o When graphs are required in laboratory exercises, you will be
instructed to “plot A vs. B” (where A and B are variables).

o You have a number of options for analyzing your lab data and
generating graphs manually and with the help of a computer. The
three common methods for data analysis are as follow:

1) Manual Data Analysis

2) Using Excel
3) Capstone PASCO

1/16/2018 3
Data Analysis for Physics Lab
o The next slides will show you how to create a graph using the 3
different methods for the following Table of Data in which distance
vs. time is plotted for an object moving with constant velocity

1/16/2018 4
1) Manual Data Analysis
o Some graphs early in this lab course should be hand-drawn to make
sure you understand all that goes into making an effective scientific
graph.

o The basic steps of linear Graphing are the following:

1) Assigning the X and Y axis with the units.
2) Scaling the graph correctly.
3) Plotting the data to scale on a graph paper
4) Connecting the points with a line that represents the best fit line,
calculating the slope of the line and providing the linear equation
based on the obtained data (y=mx+b).

1/16/2018 5
Manual Graph Example
Distance vs Time for constant velocity
1.2

1.0

0.8
Distance (m)

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

Time (s)
1/16/2018 6
Manual Graph Example

1/16/2018 7
2) Using Excel for Data Analysis
o Using Excel is another method for your data analysis and it gives
very fast & at the same time accurate results.

o The basic steps of linear Graphing using Excel are the following:
1) open Excel from the "Start" menu on your PC (Start > Programs >
Microsoft Excel). A blank worksheet should appear.

2) Enter the sample data and column headings and save the file to a
disk or to your personal file space on the campus network. (To do
this, click on "File" and choose the "Save As" option.)

1/16/2018 8
Cont.
3) Use your mouse to select all the cells that contain the data that you
want to graph. To graph this data, select "Chart" from the "Insert"
menu (or click on the "Chart Wizard" icon that should be visible on the
toolbar).

1/16/2018 9
Cont.
• 4) To add a trend line and display its corresponding equation, right-
click on a data point and choose "Add Trend line." Choose the graph
shape that best fits your data and is consistent with your theoretical
prediction (usually Linear). Click on the "Options" tab and check the
boxes for "Display equation on chart"

1/16/2018 10
Cont.

1/16/2018 11
3) Using Capstone for Data Analysis
o For the most of the experiments we use PASCO equipment and
interface which is linked to the laptop and work with Capstone
software.

o Capstone has an ability to analyses the experimental data as Excel

and other software.

o The steps of Data analysis using Capstone software are the

following:
1) open Capstone from the desktop of the lab laptop. Below
worksheet should appear. After hardware and timer set up, from
the Quick Start template we choose the table and graph icon.

1/16/2018 12
Cont.

1/16/2018 13
Cont.

1/16/2018 14
Cont.
2) The next step we have to select the variables on the tables
and label the axis on the graph.

1/16/2018 15
Cont.
3) After running the experiment the data will appear on the table and
on the graph.

1/16/2018 16
Cont.
4) The next step we have to find the best fit line by choosing curve fit
editor icon from tool palette. Choose the graph shape that best fits
your data and is consistent with your theoretical prediction (usually
Linear). Then the slope and the intercept of the best fit line will appear
on the graph

1/16/2018 17
Experimental Error
o No physical quantity can be measured with perfect certainty; there
are always errors in any measurement.

o Percent Error (sometimes referred to as fractional difference)

measures the accuracy of a measurement by the difference
between a measured or experimental value E and a true or
accepted value A.

o The percent error is calculated from the following equation:

Experimental − Accepted value
% Error =
Accepted value

1/16/2018 18