Grace conducted a study to show how many hours her dog sleeps after having one or two hours of exercise. She set up a two-way table in four different ways. Which table will best represent Grace’s data?

A 4-column table with 3 rows. Column 1 has entries less-than 6 hours of sleep, 2 hours of exercise, total. Column 2 is labeled greater-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 3 is labeled 1 hour of exercise. Column 4 is labeled total.
A 4-column table with 3 rows. Column 1 has entries 1 hour of exercise, greater-than 6 hours of sleep, total. Column 2 is labeled 2 hours of exercise. Column 3 is labeled less-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 4 is labeled total.
A 4-column table with 3 rows. Column 1 has entries 2 hour of exercise, greater-than 6 hours of sleep, total. Column 2 is labeled 1 hour of exercise. Column 3 is labeled less-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 4 is labeled total.
A 4-column table with 3 rows. Column 1 has entries 1 hour of exercise, 2 hours of exercise, total. Column 2 is labeled greater-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 3 is labeled less-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 4 is labeled total.

1 answer

To determine which two-way table best represents Grace's data on her dog’s sleep hours after different amounts of exercise, we need to consider how a two-way table organizes categorical data. The table should effectively display the relationship between two categorical variables: hours of exercise and hours of sleep.

From the given options, the best format for a two-way table would typically have:

  • One categorical variable (exercise hours) grouped in the rows, and
  • Another categorical variable (sleep hours) grouped in the columns.

Based on this structure, the most suitable option is:

A 4-column table with 3 rows. Column 1 has entries 1 hour of exercise, 2 hours of exercise, total. Column 2 is labeled greater-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 3 is labeled less-than 6 hours of sleep. Column 4 is labeled total.

This table effectively organizes the data by showing the relationship between the amount of exercise (1 hour vs. 2 hours) and the amount of sleep (greater than 6 hours vs. less than 6 hours), allowing for a clear analysis of how exercise influences sleep patterns in Grace’s dog. The total values in each row and column also help summarize the data effectively.