Using R for data analysis and graphing in an introductory physics laboratory

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how R can be effectively used for data analysis and graphing in introductory physics labs, highlighting its advantages over manual, spreadsheet, and specialized software methods.

Contribution

It introduces R as a versatile tool for physics data analysis and graphing, comparing its benefits with traditional and other software options.

Findings

R provides efficient data analysis and graphing capabilities.

R offers advantages over manual, spreadsheet, and specialized software.

The paper showcases practical examples from physics experiments.

Abstract

R is a language and computing environment that has been developed for data manipulation, statistical computing, and scientific graphing. In the paper, we demonstrate its use analyzing data collected in a few experiments taken from an introductory physics laboratory. The examples include a linear dependence, a non-linear dependence, and a histogram. The merits of R are discussed against three options often used for data analysis and graphing: manual graphing using grid paper, general purpose spreadsheet software, and specialized scientific graphing software.