<p>Hey everyone! I have a question pertaining to lab FRQs in all AP Physics exams. Take a look at question 1 from 2010 on AP Physics C: Mechanics. It's a relatively straightforward question, but would I be allowed to use my calculator to determine the LSRL of the data points instead of calculating the slope by hand? This is what I assume real physicists do, and it'd be nice to apply my AP Statistics knowledge to this exam. :P</p>
<p>The scoring guidelines make no mention of this at all, so I'm just wondering if anybody knows whether or not using one's calculator to find the slope of the regression line, given a set of data points, is a valid substitution for using the difference quotient to find the slope by hand on a lab FRQ.</p>
<p>I’ve looked through CB’s scoring guidelines for LSR questions. From what I can understand, you plot the points by hand and you must draw your line by hand, making sure **the number of points above and the number of points below your line is equal (or close to the same).<a href=“IMO,%20that%20requirement’s%20total%20BS.”>/b</a> To find the slope, you must use points **on your LSR line<a href=“and%20%5Bb%5Dnot%20one%20of%20the%20actual%20data%20points%5B/b%5D”>/b</a> and do rise over run.</p>
<p>Another good example of LSR on recent AP Physics exams is number 2 (I think?) on the 2010 B test. I know it’s the experiment question and that it’s about something floating in oil, but I don’t quite remember the question number.</p>
<p>Yeah I knew that we were required to draw the LSRL and plot the points by hand, but simply for accuracy’s sake, I was wondering if we were allowed to use the TI-84 to find the true LSRL slope.</p>
<p>^Because CB seems to be really adamant about using points on the line and not from the data table, I’d just do it their way. Even though they do have smart professors scoring this, you run the risk of ****ing off the graders (and not getting your points) if you use the calculator.</p>