Gerald performed an experiment to determine if photosynthesis was affected by the color of light that a plant received. The data from his experiment are shown in the table below.

\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
Color of Light & Number of plants & \begin{tabular}{c}
Average volume of \\
oxygen produced [tex][tex]$( mL )$[/tex][/tex]
\end{tabular} \\
\hline
green & 4 & 0.50 \\
\hline
orange & 4 & 2.0 \\
\hline
blue & 4 & 5.0 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Which format should he use to present his data?

A. bar graph
B. chart
C. line graph
D. pie graph



Answer :

To decide on the best format for presenting Gerald's data, we need to consider the type and nature of the data provided.

The data includes:
1. The color of light
2. The number of plants
3. The average volume of oxygen produced by the plants under each light color

The key point is that we want to visually compare the average volume of oxygen produced under different light colors. Each light color is a categorical variable and the average volume of oxygen produced is a quantitative variable.

Bar Graph:
- A bar graph is suitable for comparing quantities (like volumes of oxygen) across different categories (like light colors).
- It allows easy visual comparison between the different light colors and the oxygen volumes.

Chart:
- A chart is a more general term that includes bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, etc.
- More information is needed to specify the type of chart.

Line Graph:
- A line graph is best for showing changes over time or continuous data.
- This does not fit well since the data here is categorical (different light colors) and not time-based or continuous.

Pie Graph:
- A pie graph is used to show proportions or percentages of a whole.
- It’s not ideal for this data because we’re not showing parts of a whole but comparing average values across categories.

Given the data involved and the need to compare average volumes of oxygen produced by different light colors, a bar graph is the most appropriate format.

Hence, Gerald should use a bar graph to present his data.

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