Data Analysis
The PocketLab Air is very powerful and not only collects data producing graphs for each parameter, but it can do basic analysis as well. Once data is recorded, the app is able to report the range, the mean value, and the standard deviation of every parameter that was being recorded.
- Range: The lowest and highest value of the parameter (the y-axis)
- Mean/Average Value: The central value of all the values recorded for the parameter. It is found by summing all the y-axis values together and then dividing them by how many numbers there were.
- Standard Deviation: This is a measure of how much the data disperses from the curve of best fit. In simpler terms it is on average, how much the data spreads out from the mean/average value.
For the purpose of the curriculum, the most important form of data analysis will be graphs produced by the PocketLab Air app as well as ones you produce yourself. However, if taking measurements in an area that should not be changing very much the mean/average value could be taken as the measurement rather than a random point on the graph. The graphs produced by the PocketLab Air only contain one parameter from a single recording which can be limiting.
