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GCE AS Level Representation of Data Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Representations of Data

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5 views

GCE AS Level Representation of Data Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Representations of Data

Gcse maths

Uploaded by

bvitira.k
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GCE A Level Maths 9709

SMIYL
April 2023

5.1 Representation of Data


In this topic we will learn how to:

• select a suitable way of presenting raw data, and discuss the advantages
and/or disadvantages that particular representations may have

Representation of Data
We will learn how to represent data using a stem-and-leaf diagrams,
box-and-whisker plots, histograms and cumulative frequency graphs.
We will also learn to calculate measures of central tendency and vari-
ation. We’re going to explore the advantages and disadvantages of
particular representations and statistical data.

Stem and Leaf Diagram


Advantages
• It shows all of the original data
• It shows the shape of the distribution i.e skew
• The mode, median and quartiles can be found from the diagram

• It is useful for comparing two sets of data


Disadvantages
• It is not suitable for large amounts of data

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Box and Whisker Plot
Advantages

• It is easy to see whether the distribution is symmetrical or whether there


is a tail to the left or right
• It can be used to investigate extreme values (outliers)
• It is easy to see the range and interquartile range

• You can compare two or more sets of data by drawing on the same diagram
Disadvantages
• It does not show frequencies

• It only shows particular values of the data

Histogram
Advantages
• It can represent groups of different widths
• It shows whether the distribution is symmetrical or skew

• The mean and standard deviation can be estimated from the histogram
Disadvantages
• The visual impact can be altered by using different scales

Cumulative Frequency Graph


Advantages

• The median and quartiles can be estimated from the graph


• Sets of data can be compared by drawing graphs on the same diagram
Disadvantages
• The visual impact can be altered by using different scales

2
Measures of Central Tendency
Mean
Advantages
• It is calculated using all the data so it represents all the items

• It is calculated using a mathematical formula so calculators can be pro-


grammed to find it
• It is extremely useful for further analysis
Disadvantages

• It can be unduly affected by one or two extreme values

Mode
Advantages
• Useful when the most popular category is required, e.g clothes or shoe
sizes

Disadvantages
• Not very useful for small data sets, or when there are more than two modes
• There may not be a mode
• It may not be representative, e.g. it could be the lowest value

• Modal class depends on the grouping of the data


• It is not useful for further analysis

Median
Advantages
• It is not affected by extreme values

• It can be found as soon as a middle value is known


Disadvantages
• It does not use the whole data set

• It is not useful for further analysis

3
Variation
Range
Advantages
• It is easy to calculate
• It represents the complete spread of the data
Disadvantages
• It is affected by extreme values

Interquartile Range
Advantages
• It is not unduly influenced by extreme values
• It can be used to investigate extreme values
Disadvantages
• It depends only on particular values when the data is ranked

Standard Deviation
Advantages
• It is calculated using all the data and so represents every item
• It is calculated using a mathematical formula so calculators can be pro-
grammed to find it
• It is very useful for further analysis
• It is useful in comparing two sets of data, for example by showing which
is more consistent
Disadvantages
• It can be unduly affected by one or two extreme values
• For a single set of data its value is difficult to interpret

Let’s look at some past paper questions.


1. Twenty children were asked to estimate the height of a particular tree.
Their estimates, in metres, were as follows. (9709/53/M/J/22 number 2)

4.1 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.4
5.5 5.8 6.0 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.6 6.8 6.9 19.4
It is given that the mean is 6.17 and the median is 5.45. Give a reason
why the median is likely to be more suitable than the mean as a measure
of the central tendency for this information.

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Since we have a value that appears anomalous (does not follow
the trend), 19.4, the mean will be inflated due to this value.
However, this extreme value has no effect on the median.

2. Twelve tourists were asked to estimate the height, in metres, of a new


building. Their estimates were as follows. (9709/62/O/N/19 number 1)

50 45 62 30 40 55 110 38 52 60 55 40

Give a disadvantage of using the mean as a measure of central tendency


in this case.

The mean will be unduly affected by the extreme value, 110.

3. The heights, in cm, of the 11 basketball players in each of two clubs, the
Amazons and the Giants, are shown below. (9709/52/M/J/21 number 7)

Amazons 205 198 181 182 190 215 201 178 202 196 184
Giants 175 182 184 187 189 192 193 195 195 195 204

State an advantage of using a stem-and-leaf diagram compared to a box-


and-whisker plot to illustrate this information.

The stem-and-leaf diagram includes all the data, whereas the


box-and-whisker plot does not.

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