Re: Graphing by Hand

[David Simmons <dsimmon@uoft02.utoledo.edu>]

Raymond A. Rogoway wrote:

> Question:  Is there any value in teaching graphing by hand anymore?
> I did it up to last year but things went so much faster and easier this
> year when we went directly to computer graphing.

I always begin with at least one graph by hand lab. We are doing uniform 
acceleration this week with the tape timer. I tried it with the CBL and it 
worked great--fast too. But, based upon what we've done in class and what 
I've seen on homework, I think they need to do some hand work.

My students look at a graph on their calculators and too often forget about 
units. For example in an introductory lab using the CBL on d-t graphs the 
students were surprised that graphs for fast and slow motions were 
identical. (Actually the brighter ones were surprised, the rest just missed 
the point altogether.) The program does a zoom-fit for every set of data and 
thus the scale changes every time. Bottom line is they really did not 
understand what they were seeing.

We'll use the computers next week.

Dave

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*	David Simmons	St. John's Jesuit High School	*
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