Categories and measurements — Data, 7–10 years
Some data names groups, while other data tells us how much or how many. Knowing the difference helps us record and compare information sensibly.
Two kinds of data
Data can describe a category, such as a favourite colour or type of pet. It can also give a number that we count or measure, such as six pets or 24 centimetres. The first tells us which group; the second tells us how much or how many.
Why tell them apart?
The kind of data decides what a sensible answer looks like. You can count how many children chose red, but you cannot find the average favourite colour. You can compare measured heights, while words such as tall and short need clear groups or descriptions.
Sort the pet data
A class records its pets: dog, fish, dog, cat, fish, dog. First, identify the category: pet type. Next, group matching answers: dogs, cats and fish. Finally, count each group: dogs 3, fish 2, cats 1. These numbers can now be compared.
The trap: turning words into fake numbers
A child may label dog as 1, cat as 2 and fish as 3, then treat those labels like measurements. That feels reasonable because they are written as numbers. But the labels are only names for groups: fish is not three times as much as dog, and an average of the labels has no useful meaning.
Where this helps
A shop records two kinds of data: the colour of each shirt and its price. Colour helps workers group shirts on shelves; price lets them compare costs and calculate totals. Weather records also mix categories, such as sunny or rainy, with measurements, such as 18 degrees Celsius.
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