Should I use a bar graph or a line graph?

Question

For my Bio Lab I am asked to create a graph. I’m not sure which would be the best choice, this is the prompt:

Researchers were studying the reproductive rate of the water flea, Daphnia. They counted the number of offspring produced by female Daphnia of different ages. Their data are shown in the table.

(the table displays an x column to represent the average number of offspring per day, and a y column to show the age of Daphnia in days)

I was thinking of using a bar or line graph, but maybe there’s a better option, I’m not sure which would be the best. Please help!

Answer 1

As I mentioned in a previous response, the x axis is normally the independent variable (age) and the y axis would be the dependent variable (number of offspring). If the ages that are used are continuous (i.e. no large gaps), then a line graph is appropriate. If there are large gaps, then a bar graph would work better, although a line graph can still be used if you "break" the abscissa.