Reading tables
Complete, read, and interpret information in tables, including timetables
What a learner can do afterwards
- Read a bus timetable to find the departure time for a particular stop
- Complete a two-way table from given data about favourite sports by gender
- Calculate how long a train journey takes using a timetable
1 · Read
A table sorts information into rows and columns so it is easy to find. Rows run left to right. Columns run up and down. To find one piece of information, find the row you need, then slide across to the column you need.
Mia wants to know when Bus A leaves Elm Road. She finds the Elm Road row, then slides across to the Bus A column. The two meet at 8:15.
A train leaves Leeds at 10:20 and arrives in Manchester at 11:05. To find how long the trip took, Priya counts on from 10:20 to 11:05. That is 45 minutes.
If a table has a Total row or column, you can use it to find a missing number. Add up what you know, then subtract from the total to find what's missing.
Find your row, slide to your column, and read where they meet. Use totals to fill in a missing number.
More to read
Represent and interpret data: FAQ
Data must be organised before it speaks. Tally charts count answers, frequency tables total them, and graphs picture them. Each step makes patterns clearer.
Always ask what the data claims. A graph shows shape, but you supply the thinking.
Two-way frequency tables
Two-way tables sort data by two traits at once. Rows might split boys and girls while columns split food choices. Each cell counts children matching both traits.
Totals live in the margins. Add rows and columns to check that every person got counted exactly once.
Key ideas: Interpret line graphs
Line graphs join points to show change over time. A rising line means growth, a falling line means a drop, and a flat line means nothing changed. Steepness shows speed.
Read the labels on both axes first. Time usually runs along the bottom while the measured thing climbs the side.
Explore more
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
17 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.