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Spreadsheet Tutorial 3: Column Graphs, Error Bars, and Standard Error of the Mean

Image from the activity

Topic

  • Evolution
  • Speciation
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Data Analysis
  • Statistics

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Lessons

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
16 Users
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Description

In this activity, students explore different ways of creating simple bar graphs and adding error bars from calculated statistical values using built-in functions in Excel or Google Sheets. Students apply what they learned by plotting beak size measurements of Galapágos finches collected before and after a drought.

This activity covers statistical concepts including standard error of the mean and confidence interval.

Student Learning Targets

  • Use a spreadsheet program to calculate the standard error of the mean for a sample data set.

  • Create a bar graph and add error bars showing the standard error of the mean.

Estimated Time

One to two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

analysis, average, column graph, confidence, data, Galapágos finches, mean, plot, standard deviation, sum of squares, variance

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Version History

Date Published 09.15.15
Date Updated 04.22.16

Common Core (2010)

Math.N-Q.1, Math.F-LE.5, Math.A-SSE.3, Math.A-REI.3, Math.S-ID.5, Math.S-IC.3; MP1, MP2, MP4, MP5

AP Biology (2019)

SP4, SP5

Materials

Worksheet (Google Sheets link)
Worksheet (Excel) 263 KB

Additional Materials

If using the Data Spreadsheet (optional), students will need access to a spreadsheet software for analysis and graphing.

Use This Resource With

Activity Resource
Evolution in Action: Data Analysis

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This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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Teaching Statistics and Math Using Spreadsheet Tutorials and Galapágos Finches
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