Year 8 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 10

Reading and Interpreting Graphs

Foundation Worksheet

Name
Date
Class

Learning Goals

Match each term to its definition

Draw a line connecting each term on the left to its correct definition on the right. Or write the matching letter next to each term.

TermYour answerDefinition
InterpolationA. The range and spacing of values shown on each axis.
ExtrapolationB. Estimating a value between two measured data points on a graph.
TrendC. The horizontal or vertical line along which values on a graph are measured.
AxisD. Estimating a value beyond the range of data collected — less reliable.
ScaleE. The steepness of a line on a graph, indicating the rate of change between two variables.
GradientF. The overall pattern or direction shown by data on a graph.

Read the graph

Study the bar chart below showing the temperature of a reaction mixture over 10 minutes. Answer the three questions.

0 20 40 60 80 Temperature (°C) 20 52 78 80 79 72 65 59 55 0 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Time (minutes) Temperature of Reaction Mixture Over Time

Data: simulated exothermic reaction experiment, HSCScience Lab.

(a) At what time (in minutes) was the maximum temperature reached?

Recall 1 mark

(b) What was the temperature of the reaction mixture at 2 minutes?

Recall 1 mark

(c) In one sentence, describe the overall trend shown in the graph. Include at least one specific value.

Recall 2 marks

1. Explain the difference between interpolation and extrapolation. Which one is more reliable, and why?

Recall 2 marks

2. Why is it important to check the scale on a graph before reading off values?

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?