#TRIBBLE Graphing

Tribbles with Kirk from Star Trek

Today I graphed another data set. I rocked the accelerometer back and forth, not unlike a small child. I took values at 0.1 second intervals, and then made a graph using a spreadsheet. I have found a new way of graphing. Instead of drawing a graph and then plotting each individual point, I am collecting the numbers via Ctrl + C, and then making a graph using a program. Annoyingly, the graphs were not smooth, every couple of values or so, there was an outlier. This was expected, but it kind of throws a wrench in my entire system. I did not want to come up with a new way of detecting patterns, but the current values were too unpredictable, so something had to change.

When I was just starting to accept that I would need to make a new plan, I had an idea. After staring at the graphs for a while, I wondered if they would be smoother if there were less values. Unfortunately, if I only included every five or so values, for example, I would be collecting the outliers. But maybe I could average the values. I made a quick function to average every three values. I did not know whether this would work, but I had high hopes. The results came out, and it had worked! The graph was a lot smoother, and there were almost no outliers. Coincidentally, I found an interesting pattern. The up and down slope had a pattern, it would slope up and down like hills and ridges. From the lowest point in a valley to the highest point on the following ridge, there were exactly eight points. I did not have enough values to confirm this pattern, and I very much doubted that it would hold true, but at the very least, it was predictable. With little to no outliers, and a predictable, if not exact number of values per slope, this method was a winner!

Next time, I will graph more values at the fastest and slowest speeds so that I can see the range of values. I hope that there will be more patterns that I can use as a guide. If not, I will need to find a common sequence of numbers, and make my functions based on that.