Building number confidence: Graphical data

4. Charts and graphs

4.5. Pictogram

A pictogram uses images, or symbols, to represent data in a simplified, visual format.

Tea sales, each cup representing 5. Mon (7), Tue (3), Wed (5), Thu (3), Fri (6), Sat (6), Sun (8).

Each tea-cup represents 5 teas sold.

	Americano	Latte	Flat white	Cappuccino	Tea
Monday	76	14	20	12	35
Tuesday	60	30	14	25	17
Wednesday	57	28	30	22	25
Thursday	37	32	12	27	14
Friday	70	36	18	32	28
Saturday	72	35	27	16	32
Sunday	55	25	23	27	40

This pictogram shows tea sales for each day of the week, rounded to the nearest 5. There are 7 cup symbols alongside Monday, which indicates that 7 x 5 = 35 teas (to the nearest 5) were sold that day.

A pictogram is a simple format, useful for visual impact, but not suitable for sharing detailed information.

Data check

Looking at the pictogram, both Friday and Saturday have 6 cups. What were the approximate sales of teas on these days?

6 x 5 = 30, so approximately 30 teas were sold on both of these days.

A check of the data table shows that actual figures were (Friday) 28 and (Saturday) 32, however these have been rounded in order to represent an approximate sales picture using simple icons.