ipython notebook align table to the left of cell

Well, yes !

| Name | Description | age         
| :- |-------------: | :-:
|Mary| She is a nice girl.  | 20
| Jackie Junior | He is a very naughty boy. | 5

• :--- or --- = left align
• ---: = right align
• :---: = centered

Answer to the 1st question - left-align the table - create and run a code cell above the table markdown cell, with the following content:

%%html
<style>
table {float:left}
</style>

I would suggest to use this variant of the knuth's answer that doesn't affect the flow of the remaining elements around the table. Put this code inside a cell above the one containing the table:

%%html
<style>
  table {margin-left: 0 !important;}
</style>