A student conducts an experiment to see how music affects plant growth. The student obtains four identical plants. Each one is potted in the same type of soil and receives the same amount of sunlight and water each day. Plant A listens to classical music for three hours each day. Plant B listens to rock music for three hours each day. Plant C listens to country music for three hours each day. Plant D does not listen to any music at all.
Based on the experiment in the scenario, which visual aid would be most helpful in showing the change in the plants’ heights over time?
A. A pie chart
B. A timeline
C. A line graph
D. A bar graph
The correct answer and explanation is :
Correct Answer: C. A line graph
Explanation:
A line graph is the most helpful visual aid for displaying changes in data over time, especially when you want to compare multiple variables. In this experiment, the student is measuring how music affects plant growth, specifically tracking plant height over a period of time. Each plant (A, B, C, and D) is exposed to a different condition: different genres of music or no music at all. The key focus is to observe how the height of each plant changes over time under each condition.
With a line graph, the x-axis typically represents time (such as days or weeks), while the y-axis represents plant height (in centimeters or inches). Each plant can be represented by a separate line in the graph. This allows the viewer to easily compare the growth trends among all four plants and determine which condition led to the most or least growth.
Let’s look at why the other options are not suitable:
- A. Pie chart: Pie charts are used to show parts of a whole at a specific point in time. They do not effectively show changes or comparisons over time.
- B. Timeline: Timelines are useful for showing a sequence of events, not numerical data or measurements. They are not appropriate for displaying quantitative growth data.
- D. Bar graph: While bar graphs can be used for comparison, they are usually better for snapshots of data at a single point in time, not continuous changes over time.
Therefore, a line graph is the best tool to show how each plant’s height changed over time, making it the most appropriate and informative visual aid for this experiment.