- Current section: Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 0 Introducing data
- 1.1 Data and questions
- 2.3 Pie charts and bar charts
- 2.3.1 Introduction
- 1.3.2: Pie charts: surgical removal of tattoos
- 1.2.3 Pie charts: Nuclear power stations
- 1.2.4 Bar charts: nuclear power stations
- 1.2.5 Bar charts: Surgical removal of tattoos
- 1.2.6 Problems with graphics
- 1.2.7 Problems with graphics: USA workforce
- 1.2.8 Problems with graphics: nuclear power stations
- 1.2.9 Pie charts and bar charts: summary
- 3 Histograms and scatterplots
- 4: Numerical summaries
- 5: Summary
- Acknowledgements
from The Open University
Alternatively you can skip the navigation by pressing 'Enter'.
Exploring data: Graphs and numerical summaries
This Unit will introduce you to a number of ways of representing...
This Unit will introduce you to a number of ways of representing data graphically and of summarising data numerically. You will learn the uses for pie charts, bar charts, histograms and scatterplots. You will also be introduced to various ways of summarising data and methods for assessing location and dispersion.
Studying this unit will help you work towards the following learning outcomes:
- Know and be able to use standard symbols and notation: for the pth value in a data set when the values are written in order, the sample lower and upper quartiles and the sample median, the sample mean and the standard deviation.
- Be aware that data can have a pattern which may be represented graphically.
- Be aware that the standard deviation and the interquartile range are measures of the dispersion in a data set.
- Be aware that the median and the interquartile range are more resistant measures than are the mean and the standard deviation.
- Acquire the skill of gaining an overall 'feel' for data and the way they are distributed by constructing appropriate graphical displays.
- Acquire the skill of describing data sets on the basis of graphical displays and numerical summaries.
- Acquire the skill of calculating summary measures such as the median, the upper and lower quartiles, the mean, the standard deviation and the variance, using a calculator.
- Duration: 20 hours
- Published on: Wednesday 27th July 2011
- Level: Introductory
- Posted under: Mathematics
Contents
Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries
Introduction

This unit will introduce you to a number of ways of representing data graphically and of summarising data numerically. You will learn the uses for pie charts, bar charts, histograms and scatterplots. You will also be introduced to various ways of summarising data and methods for assessing location and dispersion.
Other pages You might like

Try: Rotating Bodies and Angular Momentum
How does an ice skater rotate so effortlessly on ice? What are the forces at play? How do...

Try: Numbers: Getting to grips with division
Do you want to improve your ability to divide one number from another, especially if...

Study: Pure mathematics
This Level 2 course - for those with prior mathematical knowledge - introduces the main...

Try: The Fourier Series
Fourier analysis encompasses a vast spectrum of mathematics which is often deemed...

Try: Working mathematically
This unit is aimed at teachers who wish to review how they go about the practice of...

Study: Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics
This postgraduate diploma is ideal for mathematicians, mathematically inclined scientists...

Try: The Arch Never Sleeps
It has been said that arches never sleep, that they are almost living in the way they...

Try: Cell signalling
This unit explains the general principles of signal transduction and specifically, how...

Study: The story of maths
This short course traces the development of mathematics – from its origins in Egypt and...

Try: Sounds harmonious
Math can be applied to pretty much everything in existence, and music is of no exception....

Try: Real functions and graphs
Sometimes the best way to understand a set of data is to sketch a simple graph. This...

Try: Mathematical models: from sundials to...
Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have used everyday materials to create...
Comments
Be the first to post a comment
Copyright & revisions
Copyright information
- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
Feeds
If you enjoyed this, why not follow a feed to find out when we have new things like it? Choose an RSS feed from the list below. (Don't know what to do with RSS feeds?)
Remember, you can also make your own, personal feed by combining tags from around OpenLearn.
Alternative Formats
Tags, Ratings and Social Bookmarking
Page Tags
Sign in or create a free account to add tags to your personal tag cloud using:
Taking off
Free stuff to your door
International Alphabet Soup
OU TV & Radio
-
Click: A Route 66 of the future - Ep 4BBC World Service
Wednesday 2:32 -
Click: A Route 66 of the future - Ep 4BBC World Service
Wednesday 9:32 -
Thinking Allowed: DianaBBC Radio 4
Wednesday 16:00 -
Airport Live, Episode 3BBC Two
Wednesday 20:00 -
Airport Live, Episode 4BBC Two
Thursday 20:00
Views
Votes
Comments
Tags
- climate change (374)
- business (278)
- diaries (194)
- bottom line (169)
- food (168)
- Rough Science (162)
- BBC Two (150)
- BBC Radio 4 (149)
- internet (145)
- BBC (136)
- listings (122)
- Scotland (121)
- points for debate (120)
- Bang goes the Theory (116)
- children (116)
- Creative Climate (116)
- English Civil War (115)
- Thinking Allowed (109)
- astronomy (108)
- religion (98)
- marketing (94)
- 20th century (94)
- Charles I (93)
- communication (92)
- evolution (91)
- research (89)
- sustainability (89)
- architecture (86)
- energy (83)
- Charles Darwin (78)
OpenLearn Links
Copyrighted imageCredit: Background image Lucian Milasan | Dreamstime.com 

