Mathematics
Grade 7
15 min
Interpret line plots
Interpret line plots
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the components of a line plot (title, number line, data points).
Determine the frequency of each data value from a line plot.
Calculate the mode, median, and range of a data set represented by a line plot.
Describe the shape and spread of data shown on a line plot.
Identify potential outliers in a data set displayed on a line plot.
Answer contextual questions based on the information presented in a line plot.
Ever wonder how many hours your classmates spend on homework or playing video games? 🎮 Line plots can help us quickly see patterns in this kind of data!
In this lesson, you'll learn how to read and understand line plots, which are simple graphs that show the frequency of data along a number line. This skill is crucial for making sense...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Line Plot (Dot Plot)A graph that displays the frequency of data along a number line. Each data point is typically represented by an 'X' or a dot stacked above its corresponding value on the number line.A line plot showing the number of pets owned by students, where each 'X' above a number (e.g., 0, 1, 2) represents one student.
Data PointA single piece of information or observation in a data set. On a line plot, each 'X' or dot represents one individual data point.If a student has 2 pets, '2' is a data value, and the 'X' above '2' on the line plot is one data point.
FrequencyThe number of times a particular data value appears in a set. On a line plot, it's the count of 'X's or dots stacked abo...
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Core Formulas
Rule for Finding Frequency
To find the frequency of a specific value on a line plot, count the number of 'X's (or dots) directly above that value on the number line.
This rule helps you determine how many times each observation occurred, which is fundamental to understanding the distribution of the data.
Rule for Calculating the Range
Range = \text{Highest Data Value} - \text{Lowest Data Value}
Identify the smallest value with an 'X' (leftmost) and the largest value with an 'X' (rightmost) on the number line, then subtract the smallest from the largest. This gives a quick measure of the data's spread.
Rule for Determining the Mode
The mode is the data value on the number line that has the greatest number of 'X's (or dots) st...
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
A line plot shows the number of pets owned by students. The data is clustered between 0 and 2, but there are two outliers at values 4 and 5. If you were to calculate the mean (average), how would it likely compare to the median?
A.The mean would be greater than the median.
B.The mean would be less than the median.
C.The mean and median would be approximately equal.
D.It is impossible to tell without the full data set.
Challenging
A line plot represents the ages of 12 children at a party. The median age is 9.5. Which of the following statements MUST be true?
A.The most common age is 9.
B.The range of ages is exactly 1.
C.At least one child is 9 and at least one child is 10.
D.The number of children younger than 9 is equal to the number of children older than 10.
Challenging
Consider the line plot for 'Daily Juice Boxes Sold' with 14 data points, a mode of 12, and a median of 12. If the two lowest data points (one at 10, one at 11) were changed to be 14, how would the median and range be affected?
A.The median would increase and the range would decrease.
B.The median would stay the same and the range would increase.
C.The median would increase and the range would increase.
D.The median would stay the same and the range would decrease.
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