Data+Template+Formation

You have planted your chili pepper plants, collected different sodas to test Mentos reactions, incubated your bacteria cultures or whatever. You have thought out your experiment and know what kinds of data you want to collect and how many times you want to do it.

For example, when recording data about the chili pepper plants, you would note the rate of growth, height, number of leaves, size of leaves, (precise measurements such as 2.3 cm; NOT small or big), color changes, unusual observations each day.

In the case of the Mentos reaction, you may measure the size of the reaction, the height of the spray, amount of soda left in the container, time of reaction.

For the bacteria, note such things as number of colonies, size of colonies, growth rate, exact measurements, NOT approximations.

Your DATA table(s) are the targets, the information you are seeking. Yes, you make them before you start the experiment, because you have to know what you are looking for. Why you are doing what you are doing. Open the following instructions to get started your own data tables.

LOG Entries are your initial data collection, the day to day findings. The information you record in your LOG Entry will be then put into your DATA Tables, when you are done, you can also modify your DATA Tables if there were observations you recorded that were not initially planned.

A LOG Entry should have the following items:
 * date and time of test or observations
 * neatly, handwritten entries
 * procedural info for the entry
 * precise quantitative measurements
 * metric measurements
 * detailed qualitative observations
 * drawings where appropriate
 * photographs/videos to document results

Check out the example and try to make your own for your project, on note paper. Remember all entries should be made for mistakes.



Continue on to Data Collection and Monitoring