A-level Mathematics/OCR/S1/Representation of data

Representation of data

Data that is presented in a systematic manner is much easier to understand. Consequently the next step after data collection is to lay the information out in an orderly way - usually as a table.

A well constructed table must have a) A clear, comprehensive, explanatory title b) Be systematically formated c) Identify the source of the data d) All units of measurment must be clearly stated (sometimes in the headings of the columns or rows) e) The headings to all columns and rows must be unambiguous - if it would be too long, then use a short title PLUS a footnote.

Systematic formating is the hard bit. Here you must ask yourself what is the purpose of the table: a) To present the data collected in an orderly manner b) To show distinct patterns in the data c) To summarise the data In most cases, good layout is obtained by first asking what data must be presented adjacent to each other and then asking supplementary questions such as should totals be shown, should percentages or other derived statistics be shown, or would they just clutter up the table.

NEEDS SOME EXAMPLES HERE, probably as graphics to avoid the limitations of web page rendering on different browsers ***

Graphs and Diagrams

SYLABUS EXTRACT:

pie charts, bar charts frequency polygons, construct and interpret stem-and-leaf diagrams (including ordered and back-to-back stem-and-leaf diagrams), box-and-whisker plots, histograms and cumulative frequency graphs - To be written