In the past 15 years especially, the AP Physics exams have asked students to make and interpret best-fit trend lines on data-based or lab-based questions. These constant slopes can be used to find relationships between variables and determine natural constants. This skill is tested on all AP Physics exams (including the discontinued B exam). In this article, I explain precisely how students can create best-fit lines that earn points and provide several example labs that include this specific skill.
References
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For a good general discussion, see
Christopher
Deacon
, “The importance of graphs in undergraduate physics
,” Phys. Teach.
37
, 270
(May
1999
).© 2022 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by American Association of Physics Teachers.
2022
Author(s)
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