Data is just a word for information. Your favourite fruit, the colour of your shoes, how many pets you have: all of these are data.
Why this matters: Computers store and sort huge amounts of data. When you learn to collect, sort, and read data, you can answer real questions like ‘Which fruit is most popular?’ or ‘How many people walk to school?’
Collecting data with a tally
A survey means asking people a question and writing down their answers. A tally is a neat way to count: one line for each answer, and every fifth line goes across the other four.
Survey: What is your favourite fruit?
Apple: |||| (4)
Banana: ||| (3)
Orange: || (2)
Apple: |||| (4)
Banana: ||| (3)
Orange: || (2)
Sorting and grouping
Once we have data, we can sort it into groups. One simple way is a yes/no question. This is called branching, because the data splits like the branches of a tree.
| Question | Yes group | No group |
|---|---|---|
| Is it a fruit? | apple, banana | carrot, brick |
| Is it red? | apple, tomato | banana, lime |
Showing and reading data
Data is easier to read when we show it clearly, for example in a list, a table, or a simple block chart where taller means more.
Put these steps in order for a class survey:
- Ask everyone the survey question
- Tally the answers
- Show the results in a chart
- Read the answer from the chart
From the chart above, apple has the tallest bar, so apple is the most popular fruit.