Measurements, Tables, and Graphs

Linear Measurements This is how we measure the length, width, or height of an object. Standard measurements include inches, feet, yards, and miles. The metric system unit is meters (m).

Area Area is used to measure the amount of space in a flat surface. To find area, use the formula length x width The unit will be the linear measurement unit used^2 Ex.) in^2, m^2

Perimeter Perimeter measures the length around the sides of an object. To calculate perimeter, add the lengths of all sides together. The unit will be the linear measurement unit used. Ex) inches, meters, kilometers 4 8

Mass Measures how much matter is in an object Mass is different from weight! Weight involves gravity, and is different for every planet. We measure mass with a triple beam balance and use the metric unit gram (g)

Volume This measures how much space an object takes up. Three ways to measure volume: For cubic or rectangular shapes, use the formula “length x width x height.” The unit is cm 3 For irregularly shaped objects, use the water displacement method. The unit is mL For liquids, use a beaker or graduated cylinder to measure the volume. The unit is mL or L

Density The density of an object describes how much mass it has per unit of volume. Objects with a high density can be very heavy at small sizes. Objects with a low density can be very light at large sizes. To measure density, use the formula mass/volume. The unit will be g/mL or g/cm^3

Temperature We use a thermometer to measure temperature. The standard unit of measurement for temperature is °F The metric system measures temperature in ° C

Creating Tables Tables help us to organize our data into a way that is easier to read Tables also make a great way to take down your data so that it stays organized

Creating Tables Pretend that we need to make a table organizing how many people in three classrooms have a birthday in each month. The FIRST step in creating our table is to give it a title. The title needs to be simple, and should tell us what the information means. Can you think of a good title for our table?

Creating Tables Now that we have a title, we need to draw the table. How many months are in a year? This is how many ROWS we will need. How many classrooms are we collecting data from? This is how many COLUMNS we will need. Birthdays in each Month for Class A, B, and C Class AClass BClass C January February March April May June July August September October November December

Creating Tables Now, we get to add our data. We count that in Class A, 3 people have birthdays in January, 2 In February, 5 in March, 7 in April, 1 in May, 4 in June, 0 in July, 4 in August, 9 in September, 6 in October, 3 in November, and 5 in December. This is the easy part! We will look under our column for Class A, and enter in our data in the row for each month.

Creating Tables Now we just record the number of birthdays in each month that we count in Class B and Class C. Our table should look something like this…

Creating Graphs Graphs are important because they help us to see what is happening with our data The first step in creating a graph is to give it a title. This title needs to include the independent and dependent variables. Let’s identify the independent variable in our study… the months What is our dependent variable? What changes depending on the month? the number of birthdays

Creating Graphs Now we need to label our graph. The TITLE goes at the top. The INDEPENDENT VARIABLE goes on the x axis (horizontal) The DEPENDENT VARIABLE goes on the y axis (vertical) Month Number of Birthdays Number of Birthdays in Each Month

Creating Graphs The next step is to label the units on our graph. What are the units for the independent variable (months)? January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December To find the units for the dependent variable, look at our data. What is the smallest number? What is the largest? We can label our graphs in units of one, from zero to 10. Class A January3 February2 March5 April7 May1 June4 July0 August4 September9 October6 November3 December5

Creating Graphs

Now, we just need to plot the points on our graph. Look at the data. Find the first independent variable (January) and its corresponding dependent variable (3). Place a point at this spot on the graph.

If we plot the points for the rest of our data, the graph should look like this…

The final step is to draw a line connecting the points. DONE!

Bar Graphs Bar Graphs are another way of helping us see trends in our data. To create a bar graph, start by setting up the graph the same way we did with our line graph.

Bar Graphs Now, instead of drawing a point where our data goes, draw a bar up to the line. Repeat this step for each of the months. Fill in your bars.

Bar Graphs

Circle Graphs Think of a circle graph as a pizza. A circle graph helps you see parts of a whole. (Slices of a pizza)

Circle Graphs The first step in creating a circle graph is to create… a circle! The whole circle represents the whole number of subjects you are counting. For our data, this would be the total number of students in Class A. 49 students

Circle Graphs Next, we will need to section of “slices” of the circle to represent each number in our data. These “slices” should be bigger or smaller depending on their number. Remember, they are representing pieces of our 49 students! A “slice” of 2 out of 49 should not be very big! A slice of 30 out of 49 would take up more than half!

Circle Graphs Now, we need to color in each piece of the graph with a different color so we can create a legend. A legend helps us to know what the different “slices” represent when we view a circle graph, what different bars represent on a bar graph, or what different lines represent on a line graph. They are usually color coded. To create a legend, just make a mark of each color you use beside the graph, then label what the color stands for. In our graph, we want to be able to tell which month each of the “slices” represents.