Introduction to Data Handling
Primary 4 · Mathematics
Introduction to Data Handling
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
Keza's tally sheet is covered in little strokes. "It works," she says, "but it's hard to read quickly." Her teacher shows her how to put the counts into a neat table.
A frequency table lists each group and how many times it appeared. That number is the frequency. Here is Byiringiro's vehicle count as a table:
| Vehicle | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Moto | 13 |
| Bicycle | 8 |
| Car | 6 |
| Bus | 4 |
| Truck | 2 |
| Total | 33 |
Always add a Total row. It should equal the number of things you counted: 13 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 = 33 vehicles.
Here are the numbers of pupils in each class at a primary school:
| Class | Number of pupils |
|---|---|
| P1 | 64 |
| P2 | 58 |
| P3 | 61 |
| P4 | 55 |
| P5 | 49 |
| P6 | 47 |
| Total | 334 |
"How many more" or "how many fewer" means subtract. "Altogether" or "in total" means add.
Tip
Find the row, read across. Put your finger on the name, slide it across to the number. Then ask: add or subtract?
Work each one in your exercise book first. Then tap Show answer to check.
In the vehicle table, which vehicle was seen the fewest times?
Answer: The truck, only 2 times.
How many more cars than buses were counted?
Answer: 2, because 6 − 4 = 2.
How many motos and bicycles were counted altogether?
Answer: 21, because 13 + 8 = 21.
In the school table, how many more pupils are in P1 than in P4?
Answer: 9, because 64 − 55 = 9.
In the school table, how many pupils are in P1, P2 and P3 together?
Answer: 183, because 64 + 58 + 61 = 183.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The frequency tables and the school data were written by Ganzaa. The stories, Rwandan examples, diagrams and practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
Quick check
In the school table, how many more pupils are in P2 than in P5?
