Completion of a Data Table

1. Data tables are used to display and organize data. They help you look at more than one piece of data at the same time, and are often used to summarize all the data collected during an experiment. Data tables may contain words, numbers, or both words and numbers as types of data.

2. First look at the titles at the top of each column. These tell you what each column in the table represents or will represent. In the sample table, the first column contains a list of substances to be tested. The second column represents the type of matter of each substance. The third column represents the mass of each substance. The fourth column represents the volume of each substance.

3. Notice that the title of the mass and volume columns also indicate the units of measurement used. If the units of measurement are not indicated in the title of each column, they must be included when the value is written in the box.

4. Next look at the labels in the first column. These labels tell you what substances or items were tested.

5. In the sample table, the items tested were water, baking soda, and copper shot.

6. If the table already lists the items that were tested, list the information needed in the empty columns. If the items are not listed for you, you will need to list the items. These can be listed alphabetically or arranged by experiment or type of substance.

7. By completing and using a data table, you can easily view all the results of an experiment at one time. This allows you to easily compare the observations and draw conclusions about your results.

For example, in the sample table, it is easy to see that of the two solids, the copper shot has a much greater mass than the same volume of baking soda.