[BlindMath] When making a graph, when is it appropriate to log adjust the values on the y-axis?

[Emily Schlenker]

Hi, everyone. After passing calculus last semester with an A, I just cannot look at math the same way I used to. I am working on a graph for one of my biology labs, and it just looks weird. The handout states that we are to make a standard curve where we plot absorption values from spectrophotometry on the Y axis and different concentrations on the X axis in micrograms per milliliter. The problem is, this makes a linear graph that definitely is not a curve, and I’m wondering if it would be better to do some type of adjustment on the y-axis so that it is more user-friendly. I have seen this done on graphs before. When is it appropriate to log adjust the Y values, and how exactly is this done?
Thank you for any help.
Emily

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