BRAINCAKEBest-fit and Worst-fit Lines
Once points and error bars are plotted, two straight lines are drawn.
The best-fit line is the straight line that best represents the data. It should pass through all the error bars, with the points scattered evenly on either side.
The worst-fit line is the steepest or the shallowest straight line that still passes through all the error bars. A steep worst-fit line is often drawn from the bottom of the first error bar to the top of the last; a shallow one from the top of the first to the bottom of the last. Check it still passes through every bar in between.
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More in Measurements and Uncertainties
- Combining Uncertainties
- Uncertainties from Repeated Readings
- Plotting Graphs
- Error Bars
- Uncertainty in a Gradient and Intercept
- Straight-line Graphs y = mx + c
- Logarithmic Graphs
- Estimating Physical Quantities
All 12 lessons in Measurements and Uncertainties · All OCR AS-level Physics topics