Sometimes when you are working with a lot of numbers and figures at once, things can get confusing. It might not be clear how the numbers relate to each other. You might find it helpful to arrange the numbers in a way that is easy to understand.
One way to do this is to create a table. A table is a chart or graph that shows how numbers relate to each other. It helps you compare two or more things. A table is made up of rows and columns. The rows show one piece of information, and the columns show another.
How do you read tables? Let's say you are reading a table that shows how many boys and how many girls are in your class. The table also shows how many students in your class are left-handed and how many are right-handed. Look at the example table below:
As you can see, the first row gives information about the boys, and the second row gives information about the girls. The first column of numbers gives information about the left-handers, and the second column gives information about the right-handers.
What if you wanted to know how many girls in your class are left-handed? You can find this information in the table. Look at the second row of numbers, labeled "Girls," and see where it crosses the column labeled "Left-handed." In this box, you see the number 2. So there are two left-handed girls in your class. In this way, you can use the table to find other information, too.
