Error Analysis and Graph Drawing: Practice and understanding

Introduction:
Graphs are useful to summarize the experimental data and to draw conclusions based of the graphical representation of the experimental data so that the results may be easily
understood. In general, working graphs are done on fine grid graph paper from where the data may be easily read. Further, by extrapolating the graph of the experimental data new
data may be predicted from the graph that would be difficult to obtain experimentally. A brief discussion on the rectangular graphs (with linear and logarithmic scales) will be
presented in the following section.
Graph Papers
In the assignment of the course Physics 1 Laboratory (PHY F110), you have to draw graphs based on the data given in the assignment questions. To do that you need three different
types of rectangular graph papers, regular, semi-log and log-log graph paper.
Basic Layout of the Graph Paper
Since a graph is the representation of experimental or computational simulation results, therefore a layout of the graph paper is always important to describe the graph. In the layout
of a graph paper, following points should be included:
(a) In a graph paper, a reference co-ordinate system must be there. Therefore, you need to draw a horizontal axis, called the abscissa; and a vertical axis, called the ordinate including
the origin.
(b) A graph must have a title at the top part of the graph paper. The title should clearly state the purpose of the graph and at the same time it should uniquely identify the graph. As
example, a possible title for a graph would be:
"Variation of Time period of a pendulum with the length of the pendulum”.
(c) Normally we plot the function the vertical axis (y-axis) and the independent variable along the horizontal axis (x-axis). If we choose a relation as y=f(x)=ax+b, then we should
plot x values along x-axis and corresponding y-values along y-axis.
(d) Appropriate scale should be chosen so that it is easy to plot the data points and to adjust the whole range of data within the length of the axes of the graph. The zero of a
scale does not need to appear on the graph.
(e) The axes should be labeled with words and with units clearly indicated. The words describe what is plotted, and perhaps its symbol. Please see the sample plots.
(f) Data should be plotted as precisely as possible, with a sharp pencil and a small dot or other symbols. If you use dot, then to see the dots after it has been plotted, put a circle or
box around the dot. If you plot more than one set of data on the same axes use different symbols for different sets of data.
Choice of the type of Graph paper
To solve the assignment problems in an easier way, first one has to choose appropriate type of graph paper depending on the type of the relations between the function and the
variable in the assignment question asked. In the following Table, some sample equations and he choice of graph is given.

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Choice of Different graphs for different functions.
Relations PLOT (to yield a straight line) SLOPE Y-INTERCEPT
y = ax + b y versus x on linear graph paper a b
2 2
y = cx + d y versus x on linear graph paper c d
y= ax + bx2
y2 versus x or (y/x) vs x on linear graph paper b a
y/x =a+bx
xy=K y versus (1/x) on linear paper K 0
y = axm log a
log y versus log x on linear paper or y versus x on log-log paper m
logy=loga+m.logx a (at x = 1)
ln y versus x on linear paper ln a
y = a ebx lny=lna+kx or y (on log scale) versus x on semi-log paper
m
a (at x=0)

Example: Drawing of beat fit line and 10% error on Y values (not shown in the table)

Serial No. Xi Yi Xi-XAV Yi-YAV (Xi-XAV)(Yi-YAV) (Xi-XAV)2 Serial No. Xi Yi Xi-XAV Yi-YAV (Xi-XAV)(Yi-YAV) (Xi-XAV)2
1 23 4 -102.158 -222 10436.23546 10436.24 11 133 128 7.842105 -98 61.49861496 61.49861

2 42 11 -83.1579 -215 6915.235457 6915.235 12 148 133 22.84211 -93 521.7617729 521.7618

3 36 21 -89.1579 -205 7949.130194 7949.13 13 162 154 36.84211 -72 1357.34072 1357.341

4 53 24 -72.1579 -202 5206.761773 5206.762 14 183 179 57.84211 -47 3345.709141 3345.709

5 54 36 -71.1579 -190 5063.445983 5063.446 15 197 188 71.84211 -38 5161.288089 5161.288

6 72 45 -53.1579 -181 2825.761773 2825.762 16 213 198 87.84211 -28 7716.235457 7716.235

7 77 74 -48.1579 -152 2319.182825 2319.183 17 217 210 91.84211 -16 8434.972299 8434.972

8 87 90 -38.1579 -136 1456.024931 1456.025 18 220 223 94.84211 -3 8995.024931 8995.025

9 105 94 -20.1579 -132 406.3407202 406.3407 19 238 226 112.8421 0 12733.34072 12733.34

10 118 107 -7.15789 -119 51.23545706 51.23546

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

   X -X Y -Y
i AV i AV 
 
90956.526
X AV  125.158; YAV  112.89;  X i -X AV Yi -YAV   90956.526;  X i -X AV  2
 90956.53;i
= =1
  X -X 
2
i i i AV
90956.53
i
Equation of thebest fit line:Y=mX+C; Co-ordinate of the av.point: X AV =125.158; YAV =112.89; Intercept:C=YAV -mX=112.89-125.158=-12.26
Equation of thebest fit line:Y=X-12.26; So,two points on it:(0,-12.26) and (275,262.73); Draw a line through these two points.;
Draw total 10% vertical error bar on y value.

Draing of best fit line with 10% error bar on Y values

300

250 Slope; 1.0

Intercept: -12.26

200

150
Y

100

50

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
X
-50

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Example: Data set follows the relation: Y=aX+bX3; Draw best fit line and find unknowns

Xi Yi Xi2 Yi/Xi Xi - XAV Yi - YAV (Xi-XAV)(Yi-YAV) (Xi-XAV)2

0.07 0.12 0.0049 1.714286 -0.143242857 -0.52826 0.07567 0.020519
0.12 0.22 0.0144 1.833333 -0.133742857 -0.40921 0.054729 0.017887
0.18 0.355 0.0324 1.972222 -0.115742857 -0.27032 0.031288 0.013396
0.23 0.45 0.0529 1.956522 -0.095242857 -0.28602 0.027242 0.009071
0.28 0.59 0.0784 2.107143 -0.069742857 -0.1354 0.009443 0.004864
0.33 0.7 0.1089 2.121212 -0.039242857 -0.12133 0.004761 0.00154
0.4 0.85 0.16 2.125 0.011857143 -0.11755 -0.00139 0.000141
0.41 0.92 0.1681 2.243902 0.019957143 0.001356 2.71E-05 0.000398
0.43 0.97 0.1849 2.255814 0.036757143 0.013268 0.000488 0.001351
0.44 1.13 0.1936 2.568182 0.045457143 0.325636 0.014802 0.002066
0.47 1.12 0.2209 2.382979 0.072757143 0.140433 0.010217 0.005294
0.51 1.35 0.2601 2.647059 0.111957143 0.404513 0.045288 0.012534
0.53 1.45 0.2809 2.735849 0.132757143 0.493303 0.065489 0.017624
0.56 1.53 0.3136 2.732143 0.165457143 0.489597 0.081007 0.027376

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 X AV  0.1481; YAV  2.2425;   X -X
i
i AV Yi -YAV   0.419059;

  X -Xi AV Yi -YAV 

0.419059
 X i -X AV  2
 0.134062; i
= =3.1258;
 X i -X AV  2
0.134062
Equation of thebest fit line:Y=mX+C; Co-ordinate of the av.point:
X AV =0.1481; YAV =2.2425; Intercept:C=YAV -mX=1.7795
Equation of thebest fit line:Y=2.2425X-1.7795;
So,two points on it:(0,1.79) and (0.33,2.811);

Graphing on log-log or on semi-log graph paper

Notice that the log axes runs in exponential cycles. Each cycle runs linearly in 10's but the increase from one cycle to another is an increase by a factor of 10. So within a cycle you
would have a series of: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 (this could also be 1 to 10, or 0.1 to 1.0, etc.). The next cycle actually begins with 100 and progresses as 200, 300, 400,
500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000. The cycle after that would be 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000 and so on. So you see, the graph paper actually takes the
log for you! A data set is given below as an example of log-log graph.
X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 50 80 100

Y 3 12 27 47 72 108 146 190 242 310 1205 7500 19200 30000

Slope of a straight line on log  log graph paper ( y  ax m )

 log y log y2  log y1 y  x 
Slope  m    log  2  log  2   Between two points P1  x1 , y1  and P2  x2 , y2 
 log x log x2  log x1  y1   x1 
Here : y  ax m  log y  log a  m log x; Intercept :The value of y for x  1 and hence log x  0
Calculated intercept from graph is ' a ' and slope  m; Graph is shown below

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 Example: Use of semi-log graph paper for a relation Y=aebX

X 25 30 39 49 54 65 75 86 94 105 115 124 137 143 145 149 155 164

Y 4.2 5.1 7.3 10.5 13 19 26 39 56 76 111 164 245 296 335 395 488 678

 ln y ln y2  ln y1
Slope of a straight line on semi  log graph paper ( y  aebx  ln y  ln a  bx) : Slope  b  
x x2  x1
 Between two points P1  x1 , y1  and P2  x2 , y2  ; Here, y  aebx  log y  log a  bx  Slope  b and intercept=a

After extrapolation, the straight line cut Y-axis at (0,a). So the intercept is ‘a’. Calculate the slope using above relation.

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Physics Department, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus