A list nobody can read
A shop exports 900 delivery times in the order the orders arrived. Nobody can learn anything from that list.
Put the slow ones first and the picture changes. Work out the average and you have a number to report. Each step changes the data into a more useful form.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Transform | To change data into a different form. | Minutes into hours |
| Manipulate | To sort, filter or reshape data. | Show only slow deliveries |
| Analyse | To study data to find an answer or a pattern. | Find the average time |
| Process | To run data through a set of steps to get a result. | Add up every sale |
| Filter | To keep only the items that pass a test. | Times over 60 |
| Average | The total divided by how many items there are. | (10 + 20 + 30) / 3 = 20 |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can tell manipulating, analysing and processing apart.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Manipulating changes the shape
Manipulating data means sorting it, filtering it or changing its shape. The facts stay the same.
Sort orders by date. Filter to show only late ones. Change minutes into hours. You can still trace every new item to an old one.
Analysing finds the answer
Analysing means studying data to find an answer or a pattern.
You count, add up, find the average or the biggest, or look for a trend. The result is new information that was not in any one row.
Processing follows steps
Processing means running data through a fixed set of steps to get a result.
A payroll system takes hours worked, multiplies by the rate and prints a payslip. The steps are the same each time. A computer does the work.
Check: which method is it?
Have a go
Check: which method is it?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.