The data analysis tools recommended by the Department of Physics and Astronomy are the software packages Microsoft Excel and Kaleidagraph.

Although you do not have to use either of these packages when doing your data analysis, the software you choose to use must be able to give you the same results as those given by Excel and Kaleidagraph.

Microsoft Excel: (a tutorial, in PDF format, available here)

Microsoft Excel is widely available on the computers in the computer labs all over campus, as well as being a standard package installed on the CCI computers required by all incoming freshmen since Fall 2000. There are also Excel templates available free of charge to UNC-CH physics students through a site license agreement with Prentice Hall publishing. The file is in a compressed Zip format, so you will need PKZip or WinZip installed on your local computer to properly extract the file. This FITHAVEN.XLS file and other data analysis software is packaged with the book: Data and Error Analysis by William Lichten, which can be purchased in the UNC student bookstore. These templates are secured by a password that will be provided to you by your lab TA.

There is also an Excel spreadsheet measurement comparison tool available from the Lab Director's web site.

Kaleidagraph from Synergy Software: (a Macintosh specific tutorial, in PDF format, available here)

Kaleidagraph is another data analysis tool that is well-suited for introductory physics.  It is available on the computers in the computer labs all over campus, as well as the computer lab in room 245 Phillips Hall.