Who made this number?
A school server room is at 31 degrees. Somebody must have made that number.
It was not typed in. A small device in the corner measured it and sent it. Other numbers on the same screen came from forms, from tills and from smart lights.
Every piece of data has a source. This lesson names five.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can name the source of a piece of data and say what kind of data it gives.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Source | The place or thing that data comes from. | A survey |
| Sensor | A part that measures something in the world. | A temperature sensor |
| Internet of Things | Everyday objects that connect to the internet and share data. | A smart thermostat |
| Artificial intelligence | A computer system that does jobs that normally need human thinking. | A tool that sorts tickets |
| Machine learning | A way for a system to learn from data instead of fixed rules. | Learning which tickets are urgent |
| Feedback loop | When a result goes back in as new input. | A tool learns from its own choices. |
| Bias | An unfair lean towards one result. | Always labelling tickets as printer faults |
| Network | Computers and devices joined so they can share data. | A school Wi-Fi |
| Transaction | One record of something bought, paid or done. | A canteen purchase |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
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.
People are a source
People give data when they fill in a survey or a form. A help desk form asks for a name, a room and a fault.
This data is useful because people can explain things. It can also be wrong. People mistype, skip boxes and give a quick answer.
Sensors measure the world
A sensor measures something and sends a number. Common sensors are:
- temperature: how hot a server room is
- accelerometer: how a device moves or tilts
- vibration: shaking in a fan or a hard drive
- sound: noise level in a room
- light: how bright a screen or a room is
- pressure: how hard something is pressed or pushed
Smart objects and transactions
The Internet of Things (IoT) is everyday objects that send data over a network. Examples are a thermostat, smart lights, a security camera and a tracker on a delivery van.
A transaction is one record of something done. A shop till records the customer, a membership number, the time and the basket of items.
Check: name the source
Have a go
Check: name the source
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.