Creation and Completion of a Data Table

1. Data tables are useful in organizing data and presenting data so that it can be better analyzed.

2. To create a table, you must first decide what needs to be recorded in the table. It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there a question I need to answer?

• What type of results or measurements did I obtain?

• Which results or measurements could help me answer my question?

3. Your question may be answered by recording some of the data you collected during your experiment. For example, if several trials have been performed and data collected, you may wish to create a place in the table to record each trial and the data collected.

4. After determining the data that should be recorded, decide on an appropriate number of rows and columns. For example, if you tested three substances, you may wish to draw a row for each substance. In addition, you will need another row to provide space for the heading for each column.

5. After determining the number of rows, determine the number of columns needed. For example, if you gathered two pieces of data during each trial, you may wish to draw a column for each piece of data. In addition, you will need another column to provide space for the label for each row.

6. After drawing the table, begin to fill in the table by writing the headings in the first row and the first column of the table.

7. The final step in completing a data table is to record the necessary data.

8. The table is now available to help you present and analyze your results.