- 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
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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.
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- 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.
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