AP Lab

1) Note your first graph should be a plot of position not change of position ( x not delta x). You should plot the distance from the point to the origin not to the previous point. Note that your point from which you measure , i.e. your origin, is the zeroeth point in my nomenclature

2) Time coordinate. When plotting your graphs, do not use the number of the time interval as the horizontal coordinate. use the actual time in seconds. Thus, if you chose every third point, your time interval is .05 seconds and your time scale should be labeled .05, .10, .15, .20, etc.

3) Graphing the velocity. Note that by taking the distance at time n and subtracting the distance at time n-1 from it and then dividing this difference by the time interval ( say .05 seconds) you find v. However, the v you found is not the v at time n. It is the v 1/2 way between time n-1 and time n.
Keep this in mind when you plot your v graph. So if you are looking at 5th and 6th points and your interval is .05 sec the velocity found from v= (x at .3 sec - x at .25 sec)/.05 should be plotted with .275 sec as its horizontal coordinate i.e. halfway between .25 and .30 sec.

4) Do not call the vertical axis the y axis or the horizontal axis the x axis.

5) In naming a graph use Vertical axis name vs horizontal axis name ( the vertical come first).