Using Graphs - Directions

How it Works:

Using the Using Graphs Concept Builder is quite simple. There are three different activities. In each activity you will be given a series of questions that you must answer. Answering the questions is a little different in each activity. In the first activity (Calculating Slopes), you must provide two answers to the question. You must calculate the numerical value of the slope and enter it into the corresponding answer field. And you must tap on the Units answer field to toggle through a collection of options for the unit. Once the appropriate unit is displayed and you are certain of your numerical answer for slope, you can tap on the Check Answers button. The second activity (For Every ...) presents you with a multiple choice question and five options for answers. You can select an answer by tapping on the option or on the circle to the left of the option. Once you are confident of your Multiple Choice option, tap on the Check Answer button. The third activity (Predict!) requires that you extrapolate from the plotted data to determine a value for the dependent variable (y-axis) when given a value for the independent variable. Enter your predicted value into the answer blank and tap on the Check Answer button.

In each activity, your answer will be evaluated and your Progress Report will be updated. Your goal is to earn "Stars" and to complete one or more levels of difficulty. Stars are earned when you show success on a particular situation. Once you show success on each of three situations at a particular difficulty level, you will earn the reward for that level.

 

 

Earning Stars

When you start up any of the levels of difficulty, the number of situations for that level are shown in the Progress Report area of the Concept Builder. You will notice that there is either a Yellow or a Red background for each question number. When starting up a difficulty level, the background color is Yellow. Answering a "Yellow" question correctly earns you a star for that question number. However, answering it incorrectly turns the background color to Red. A question number with a Red background must be correctly answered twice (without a miss) in order to earn a star. 

 

Getting Help

You will notice that there is a Help Me button underneath the Progress Report. You should learn to use this feature of the program. It's how you can turn an exercise in answering questions into an exercise in learning. Tapping on the Help Me button will open a page with help that is specific to each question. Of course, the Help pages are only helpful if you read them. So take the time to read them. Each Help page contains four sections: a discussion of the The Basic Concepts, a display of the Question your are facing (or a similar question with different numbers), a section titled "How to Think About This Situation", and a set of links to resources in our Tutorial section. You should pay attention to the section titled How to Think About This Situation. You will find what you need to know in the three or four paragraphs of this section. You will also become a better Physics student for doing that. That is, after all, the goal of such an activity as Using Graphs.
 
 

Thanks for being patient with the Directions. Happy learning!