1. Vernier Graphical Analysis Chromebook
2. Vernier Graphical Analysis Software

The Graphical Analysis 3 Document file type, file format description, and Mac, Windows, and iOS programs listed on this page have been individually researched and verified by the FileInfo team. We strive for 100% accuracy and only publish information about file formats that we have tested and validated. Our newly enhanced version of Graphical Analysis enables students to engage in real-time experimentation and analysis of data—either at home or in the classroom. With the Pro version, you can create your own live experiments using your Vernier sensors and share the data in real time with students. Watch our overview to see data sharing in action. We’ve reimagined our award‑winning Vernier Graphical Analysis™ app to meet the needs of today’s educators. Whether learning happens remotely or in person, the Pro version features the ability for you and your students to perform live experiments and share the data over the internet in real time. You can purchase Graphical Analysis Pro to take advantage of special introductory pricing. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators.

Mac Lab Report

- 2002.09.05

Graphical Analysis 3 is an upgrade of the long-running series ofgraphical analysis programs made by Vernier. These folks have been makingsoftware for Apple computers since the Apple II days, and indeed theirolder products are still available, as I've mentioned before to Low EndMac readers. Keyboard driver for mac. Vernier is a primary reason why Apple IIs and 68K Macsstill have a useful purpose in schools.

Unlike many incremental upgrades we see these days, Graphical Analysis 3 is atotal makeover that includes important new functions. The old functionsare there, too, and past users will have little difficulty adapting.The new functions, however, make GA3 worth the price of upgrading orpurchasing. A new copy is $80; upgrading from any previous version is$40. Maybe this seems like a high price for a piece of software you maythink is already built into your favorite spreadsheet, but there aretwo important considerations to make the purchase worthwhile.

First, a school and student site license is included (with allVernier software), so you can send a copy home with students who don'thave Office installed and be completely legal about it. Vernier has themost generous site license of any software vendor I've ever seen. Thatalone would be worth the price of the software.

Second, GA3 has important functions not available in MS Office orAppleWorks.

For example, GA3 lets you import data directly from a TI calculator.It also lets you superimpose several graph curves on top of each other.Either column can be X or Y data, which is difficult to manage withExcel and impossible in AppleWorks. You can now plot columns upsidedown, which is important for several traditional graph forms inastronomy, such as Hertzprung-Russell diagrams. In Excel, reversing thegraph scale is a major operation involving several tabbed windows andmany clicks. In GA3, you just switch from auto to manual scaling andtype in the scale limits you want, even if the top one is numericallyless than the bottom. Try that in Excel, and you're left trying tofigure out why your labeled axis suddenly popped up to the top of thegraph. (You can move the axis down in Excel; it's just harder todo.)

GA3 boasts a series of improvements. These are detailed on the website, but some of the more important ones are: Texas (april) is done!games123 nr2003 designs.

• Supports USB calculator import for Macintosh and Windows
• Improved features for report-writing - including pagination,graphics, etc.
• Improved support for the newest computer operating systems -including OS X
• 100% interchangeability between Macintosh and Windows files
• Improved import of other file formats - primarily from text files,this is very handy when using data generated in a spreadsheet

The entire look of the output from the program has changed as well.Even in OS 9 it feels more like an OS X product, withprofessional-looking samples that look like they should be on a scienceposter session at a conference. The new format supports importinggraphics and photos, and the CD even includes photos of all ofVernier's hardware just in case you don't have access to a digitalcamera. Vernier has changed the program from a multiple-windowarrangement to a single-window, with multiple objects on a page. Inearlier versions, the data was in a window, for example, that nowresides as an object (which can be moved, copied, and resized) on apage. Pages can be added to provide additional room for writingreports. If you have access to a big printer or copier, GA3 would be anexcellent tool for generating poster session displays.

Installation is a snap. OS 9 users use a traditional Mac styleinstaller. OS X users (get this) just drag over one folder to yourhard drive. First time I've seen an OS X program install morecleanly and simply than an OS 9 program. Other software makerswriting for OS X should follow this example and try to resistscattering files all over the hard drive unless it is absolutelynecessary. That is something Mac users have come to expect and welament the necessity of 'windowizing' our hard drives for other kindsof software.

If you've never used GA3 before, the first time you boot it, it mayseem a little confusing, especially if you're used to spreadsheets. Thedifference gets at the heart of the distinction of GA3 fromspreadsheets.

Spreadsheets were originally designed as business software. That iswhy the tables are laid out in rows and columns. When you generate agraph using a spreadsheet, students invariably pick the 'line' formatinstead of the 'x-y line.' In GA3 the default is 'x-y line,' just asyou'd need in a math or science class, not a business class. Thedifference is that in a 'line' graph the two columns are treated asmeasurements and plotted against the column number. In an 'x-y line'graph the first column is x, and the second is y. This confusiondoesn't occur in GA3, because it defaults to the type of graph youneed.

Also, there's no silliness about putting grid lines for y values butnot for x, as occurs with both Excel and AppleWorks. GA3 defaults to nogridlines on either axis, although turning them on is just a toggleaway. GA3 is not a spreadsheet; you don't type formulas incells, for example, but in a column header definition. That may be alittle confusing for some students, but once they get used to it, it'llmake more sense. This year, none of my students will make a graphwithout a computer (except once or twice when I'm introducinggraphing).

AppleWorks is in dire need of some analysis tools such as curvefitting and best fit line to make it useful in the high schoolclassroom. Excel has these functions, but once again, getting them toactually activate is a chore buried in the menus. GA3 provides analysistools via buttons just below the menu bar. You can examine the curvefor specific values, find slopes, and even compute numerical areasunder a curve on the fly, which even Excel doesn't do at all withoutsome risky macros. GA3 doesn't open up your computer to macro virusvulnerabilities, either.

The only problems I had were that the first time I booted it inOS 9, it gave me a type 1 error and crashed without freezing theOS. Trying again worked fine, and it hasn't happened since; I'm fairlysure it was one of those things that just happens sometimes and is nota flaw in the program. The other problem is that the screen layout forthe graph, data table, comments, and pictures will not fit on a 640 x480 screen, a concern for those of us (like me) who have a few oldermachines in use. I have a 6100 with a 640 x 480 singleresolution screen, and if kids use this program on that machine,they'll have to scroll the window around a lot. That's really my onlysignificant complaint with the program, though I don't know how theycould have solved it other than the way it already operates.

The previous version apparently had some compatibility problem withNorton Anti-Virus that caused it to freeze when attempting to copydata. This was a problem I had with it in OS 8.6, and I discovered itthrough systematic experimentation with extensions and using otherapplications. I've seen no indication of the same problem in thisversion, although I haven't tested it yet on my older machines. GA3requires OS 8.1-9.x. A separate version, as I mentioned, is includedfor OS X.

GA3 is cross platform and maintains file compatibility acrossplatforms as well. I didn't try the Windows version, but the newimplementations for OS 9 and OS X are excellent. If you arean individual user, the upgrade price is well worth the money. If not,the $80 is a bit steep, but that terrific site license makes thepurchase completely worthwhile even for first time users.

When it comes down to it, GA3 is simply the best tool for the job ina science or math setting. To my way of thinking, the things that makeGA3 a desirable purchase are the same things that make a Macintoshsuperior to a PC; it's all about getting the job done and getting outof the user's way when doing it.

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is a longtime Mac user. He was using digital sensors on Apple II computers in the 1980's and has networked computers in his classroom since before the internet existed. In 2006 he was selected at the California Computer Using Educator's teacher of the year. His students have used NASA space probes and regularly participate in piloting new materials for NASA. He is the author of two books and numerous articles and scientific papers. He currently teaches astronomy and physics in California, where he lives with his twin sons, Jony and Ben.< And there's still a Mac G3 in his classroom which finds occasional use.

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File TypeGraphical Analysis 3 Document

What is a GA3 file?

Document created and used by Graphical Analysis, an application used by middle and high school science students to produce, analyze, and print graphs; may contain graphs, data tables, histograms, text and calculated columns.

While the Graphical Analysis iOS app can import most data from the GA3 file, it cannot import calculated columns from the file.

Programs that open GA3 files

Vernier Graphical Analysis Chromebook

Vernier Graphical Analysis Software