yghydumdam Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Hello everyone. I've got a question concerning Lab report. The situation is that I received 6 points from Design aspect. Thus, the theory, assumptions, etc. were correct. It was mainly about standing waves but I thik that's not the clue. The point is that I get 5 points from DCP aspect due to the fact that my line of best-fit was done wrongly (according to my teacher's view). Namely: I assumed (design) that if I put certain variables on axis (according to the theory of standing waves), trend line should be straight. That is why I drew it straight but unfortunately, it didn't pass through any error bar. The real pattern of points was rather kind of polynomial. And here goes my question: what should I do? What I thought is that I should leave the straight line as it was and then, evaluate the failure in CE aspect, give reasons, etc. My teacher thinks in a pretty different way. I would appreciate your opinion/knowledge concerning this problem.Thanks in advance. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 The whole point of the way you present your data is that it presents your data. Not an ideal of what your data should be. Your goal is to show the results you received in the clearest way possible - so drawing on a line of best fit for a set of results which you didn't obtain is indeed not the right idea. You want a line of best fit for your results that best fits your results. Sure you can compare it with literature values/what it should have been and talk about why it wasn't in your evaluation, but if you present theoretical data instead of presenting your actual data correctly, it's a little bizarre. Do one or the other - or present your data and then afterwards on a second graph draw on a line of best fit to show what the predicted trend should have been.I understand your reasoning for wanting to put on the correct trend line, but at the end of the day you're marked on how you present your own data and how appropriate that is. It's called a line of best fit because it best fits your results - it's not something you draw onto results if it doesn't fit them Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastination Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Draw the best fit line and then in conclusion and evaluation explain the reasons (possible errors) why it is not a straight best fit line but a polynomial.That earns you points. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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