Session 4: Handling data
Introduction
You are surrounded by information every day. You’ll often have to analyse different forms of information without realising that you are doing it. This information, or data, could be presented to you in television programmes, newspapers, magazines or timetables, and can be presented in different ways, such as in tables, charts, diagrams or graphs. Election results [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] are often reported using different methods to display the results.
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- collect and record data, and then organise and represent it in different ways
- find information in tables, diagrams, charts and graphs, and understand what it means
- find the mean and range of a set of numbers
- use data to assess how likely something is to happen.
Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Data is around us all the time. In fact, you’re often dealing with different kinds of data without really knowing it. Like when booking a holiday, you may want to find out the average temperature for that time of year before making any major decisions. Or when you’re looking at timetables, to plan a journey and to make sure you arrive at your destination on time.
Data is collected in various ways: from people with clipboards doing market research, to much more technical methods. In fact, collecting data on the internet has become big business. And the news is often full of data breaches, getting companies into trouble. If you’re going into business yourself, it could be very useful to understand data so you can research who to sell to and put your understanding of handling data to good use.