Mathematical Literacy Term 1

TERMS

MEANING

Bar graph

90⁰ graph using bars to show frequencies (horizontal and vertical graph), the vertical heights of a set of bars of equal breath represent the values of the dependant variable in a data set.

Box-and-whisker plot

Diagram that statisticians use to show the distribution of data along a number line divided into quartiles.

Classify

Identify the type or class.

Continuous data

Numerical data (measurements like weight or age)

Data

Information, series of observations, measurements, facts; collection and recording of information for statistical investigation.

Data collection sheet

Two-column table showing what is observed and how many times it was observed; items of information.

Discrete

Separate; distinct; opposite of continuous.

Discrete data

Numerical data (fixed numbers like size of family); data that can have only certain values (quantities that can be counted, usually whole numbers)

Equivalent

Quantities that have the same value.

Frequency table

Table showing frequencies in organised form; table summarising the frequencies of all the data values in a data set.

Group

Put into classes, sort, arrange, organise.

Histogram

90⁰ graph using adjacent bars to show frequencies of either continuous numerical data or discrete numerical data with many different values; areas of rectangles (continues; no gaps between them) show frequency of classes of data (breadth 5 class; height 5 frequency)

Horizontal bar graph

90⁰ bar graph using horizontal bars to compare or rank items like household sizes in a block of flats.

Interview

Record data by talking to someone face to face or over the telephone.

Investigate

Examine; look into; study.

Mean

Average of the values in a data set; 5 sum of all the observed values divided by the number of observations.

Mean [of a set of data]

Average; sum of all data values divided by the number of data values.

Measures of central tendency

Numbers that tell more about the balance (middle values) in a data set (mode; median; mean)

Measures of spread

Numbers that tell how far data values in a data set lie apart; spread of numerical data set (range, quartiles, percentiles)

Median

Middle value in an ordered data set.

Median [of a set of data]

Value that cuts an ordered data set in half.

Mode

Value or values appearing most often in a data set.

Mode of a set of data

Most common data value in a data set.

Observation

Recording of data by watching someone or something closely.

Outliers

Data value that lies an abnormal distance from the other data values in the data set.

Population

Entire source of data involved in an investigation; all the subjects included in a study or survey in order to draw conclusions about that population as a whole.

Quartiles

The values that divide a list of numbers into four equal parts

Questionnaire

List of questions that can be used to collect data.

Range [of a data set]

Difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Related [data sets]

Linked; connected.

Represent[data]

Draw; graph

Representative sample

Sample likely to give results similar to those obtained from studying the whole population.

Sample

Subset (small group) chosen from the population to represent the population.

Sampling

Choosing a representative sample

Sort

Put, organise into categories.

Survey

Collect data from a group of people or objects.

Survey [biased]

Survey containing factors that produce answers that do not represent a truthful picture of the situation.

Variable

A quantity that can take different values in a situation.

Vertical bar graph

90⁰ bar graph using vertical bars to show change over time at discrete times like absentees per day for three weeks.