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 Information is often provided in the form of tables and graphs. These can be quite complex and need careful reading. Measurements are often made using scales.
Tables
Open any newspaper or magazine and you will probably find a table of information. This information can be numbers or words. This table gives details of the temperatures and weather conditions in several Pacific towns and cities.
|
City
|
Conditions
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Adelaide
|
showers
|
17o
|
13o
|
|
Auckland
|
fine
|
16o
|
9o
|
|
Apia
|
thunder
|
30o
|
24o
|
|
Honolulu
|
fine
|
30o
|
23o
|
|
Nadi
|
fine
|
31o
|
22o
|
|
Noumea
|
fine
|
28o
|
21o
|
|
Papeete
|
fine
|
31o
|
24o
|
|
Perth
|
fine
|
24o
|
10o
|
|
Port Moresby
|
fine
|
31o
|
26o
|
|
Suva
|
thunder
|
31o
|
22o
|
Tables should be have clear column headings and any units should be clearly indicated.
Charts
A chart can often be used to provide information such as conversions between units used by technicians or workers. This chart shows conversion between metric and non-metric units:
|
Centimetres
|
|
Inches
|
Metres
|
|
Yards
|
Kilometres
|
|
Miles
|
|
2.540
|
1
|
0.394
|
0.914
|
1
|
1.094
|
1.609
|
1
|
0.621
|
|
12.700
|
5
|
1.969
|
4.572
|
5
|
5.468
|
8.047
|
5
|
3.107
|
|
25.400
|
10
|
3.937
|
9.144
|
10
|
10.936
|
16.093
|
10
|
6.214
|
|
50.800
|
20
|
7.874
|
18.288
|
20
|
21.872
|
32.187
|
20
|
12.427
|
|
127.000
|
50
|
19.685
|
45.720
|
50
|
54.681
|
80.467
|
50
|
31.069
|
|
254.000
|
100
|
39.370
|
91.440
|
100
|
109.361
|
160.934
|
100
|
62.137
|
This table is a bit more complicated than it looks. It is actually three tables in one.
e.g. The first entries show that 1 inch = 2.54 centimetres and 1 centimetre = 0.394 inches.
Timetables
Timetables are used by many companies to show the times of events such as the arrival and departure of buses, trains and airplanes. The chart below shows details of the tides of two places in the same country, with the times and heights of the tides.
|
Day of week
|
Blueland
|
Greentown
|
|
am
|
m
|
pm
|
m
|
am
|
m
|
pm
|
m
|
|
Monday
|
1.30
|
2.7
|
2.10
|
2.8
|
4.20
|
2.6
|
5.00
|
2.7
|
|
Tuesday
|
2.30
|
2.7
|
3.10
|
2.9
|
5.40
|
2.7
|
6.10
|
2.9
|
|
Wednesday
|
3.40
|
2.8
|
4.20
|
3.0
|
6.50
|
2.9
|
7.10
|
3.1
|
|
Thursday
|
4.50
|
2.9
|
5.20
|
3.1
|
7.40
|
3.1
|
8.10
|
3.4
|
|
Friday
|
5.50
|
3.0
|
6.20
|
3.2
|
8.30
|
3.4
|
8.50
|
3.6
|
|
Saturday
|
7.40
|
3.2
|
8.10
|
3.3
|
10.20
|
3.6
|
10.40
|
3.7
|
|
Sunday
|
8.40
|
3.3
|
9.00
|
3.4
|
11.00
|
3.7
|
11.20
|
3.8
|
|
Scales
Measuring devices often use scales. This device is for weighing people.
Readings from scales often have to be estimated.
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The scale below shows the speed of a car, in kilometres per hour.
The reading is approximately half way between 40 and 50 i.e. 45 km/h.
Modern appliances often have a digital electronic reading 
Graphs
Information and data is sometimes better shown on a graph. There are lots of types of graphs. Many are used to show statistics, see Topic 44.
The graph below shows the information from the table above.
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