3: Practise labelling the axes

Now that you know what goes on which axis, try labelling the axes. In general, your label
should have two parts: what you measure, and how you measure it, or units
. Units should be
in parentheses (brackets). Like this: “distance (cm)” or “time (minutes)” or “eyesight left (%)”.

Putting in the units allows your reader to interpret the graph. For example, if you are graphing
the grade received on a test vs. the time spent studying, it will make a big difference whether
the x-axis reads “time studying (hours)” or “time studying (minutes)”! Likewise,
it’s hard to interpret the graph on the left, because you don’t know what the units are:

graph with no units correct graph

 

Below, I’ve written the “x” variable label, but you need to think of a possible “y
variable label. There are many possibilities, so think of one, then click “compare” to see
whether you’re on the right track. In some cases the units are not very obvious and might take some thinking.

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

x“: grams of food fed per day
y“: daily growth rate of mouse

Did you pick some unit other than grams/day for growth of mice? That’s OK — there are a lot of
different ways to measure the same thing. BUT, that’s also the reason that it’s important to tell
people HOW you measured your variables!

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

x“: temperature in tank
y“: # surviving fish in tank

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

x“: year
y“: number of deer

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

x“: dosage of Dilaudid
y“: time to relief of pain

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

x“: time since conception
y“: weight of embryo

Write a label for “y“…

To make this interactive, turn on javascript!

“x”: amount of studying
y“: grade on test