Titles
A graph compares hours studied and test score. Which title is best?
Effect of Hours Studied on Test Score
A graph is titled “Plant Height vs. Days.” Name the two variables.
Plant height and days.
A graph is titled “Temperature vs. Crickets Chirping.” Which variable is likely the independent variable?
Temperature.
Write a complete title for a graph showing the mass of salt dissolved in water at different temperatures.
Effect of Water Temperature on Mass of Salt Dissolved (or equivalent).
A title reads “Effect of Exercise on Heart Rate.” Which is the independent variable, and which is the dependent variable?
Exercise is independent; heart rate is dependent.
In an investigation, the scientist changes the amount of sunlight and measures plant height. Which variable goes on the x-axis?
Amount of sunlight.
In that same investigation, which variable goes on the y-axis?
Plant height.
A student records the number of hours of sleep and reaction time. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
Hours of sleep is independent; reaction time is dependent.
You test how water temperature affects the time needed for sugar to dissolve. What belongs on each axis?
x-axis: water temperature; y-axis: time to dissolve.
A graph has “Number of Seeds” on x and “Fertilizer Amount” on y. What should be corrected?
Swap them: fertilizer amount on x; number of seeds on y.
The x-axis is labeled 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. What is the interval?
2 units.
The y-axis is labeled 0, 10, 20, 30, 40. What is the interval?
10 units.
Values range from 0 to 50. You have 5 equal spaces on an axis. What interval should you use?
10 units per space.
Data range from 0 to 120. You have 6 equal spaces. What interval should you use?
20 units per space.
A graph’s y-axis must show 0–75 using 5 equal spaces. What interval makes the scale work?
15 units per space.
A table lists Time: 0, 5, 10, 15 minutes and Temperature: 20, 25, 30, 35 °C. What units belong with Time?
Minutes.
Using the same table, what units belong with Temperature?
Degrees Celsius (°C).
A graph measures distance traveled by a toy car over time. Give appropriate labels and units for both axes.
x-axis: Time (seconds); y-axis: Distance (meters or centimeters).
A data table lists water volume in mL and mass in g. What should the graph’s axis labels be?
x-axis: Volume (mL); y-axis: Mass (g), if volume is changed and mass is measured.
A graph has axes labeled only “Time” and “Length.” What important information is missing?
Units, such as seconds/minutes and centimeters/meters.
What type of graph is best for showing how temperature changes every hour during a day?
Line graph.
What type of graph is best for comparing the number of students who chose pizza, tacos, or sandwiches?
Bar graph.
What type of graph is best for showing the parts of a whole, such as how a class budget is divided?
Pie/circle graph.
You measure plant height each week for 6 weeks. What graph type is most useful, and why?
Line graph; it shows change over time.
You compare average rainfall in four cities. What graph type is most useful, and why?
Bar graph; it compares separate categories.