Wind tunnel tests, flight simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics and flight tests all produce huge amounts of data. It is very difficult for a human to sift through and analyze millions and millions of numbers. Larger and larger computers have been built to help engineers perform their analysis tasks. One of the fastest modern computers can perform a billion mathematical operations in one second. However, even though the computer can process the massive volumes of data generated by the Tools of Aeronautics, a human engineer is still needed to make decisions based on the data.
Computers can display information in many different ways.
One of the most effective methods of displaying numerical data is on a graph. Using graphs, engineers can very rapidly analyze and make decisions based upon very large amounts of data. In this lesson, students will learn how to create a bar graph based on the averages calculated in the lesson Wind Tunnel Averages. Title All bar graphs need a title that tells what kind of data is being shown. The following information has been used for the graph below.