Numbers: B2+ - Dawn Willoughby

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A variable is a factor that can change in quality, quantity, or size, which you have to take into account in a situation.

      characteristic The characteristics of a person or thing are the qualities or features that belong to them and make them recognizable.

      attribute An attribute is a quality or feature that someone or something has.

Variable Observations
favourite colour purple, blue, orange
number of pets 3, 1, 0
time spent reading 2 hours, 1 hour
number of children in a family 1, 5, 2
eye colour brown, blue
number of letters in a name 10, 4, 8

      The observations for a variable can be described as quantitative or qualitative, depending on what the information is about. Quantitative data is something which can be measured or counted using a number. Qualitative data represents a characteristic that uses words to describe it but does not use any numbers.

      Examples of quantitative variables are:

      

time taken to complete a test

      

the number of books in a library

      

the highest temperature in a month

      Examples of qualitative variables are:

      

the nationality of people in a cinema

      

the favourite sport of children in a school

      

the colours of balloons at a party

       Exercise 6

      Match the words on the left to their definitions on the right.

1 A variable a Data which can be measured or counted using a number.
2 An observation b The value of a variable that has actually been counted, measured or observed.
3 Quantitative c Data representing a characteristic that uses words to describe it but does not use any numbers.
4 Qualitative d A characteristic or an attribute that can have different values.

       Exercise 7

      State whether each of the following variables is quantitative or qualitative:

      1 number of pages in a book

      2 names of students in a class

      3 hair colour

      4 weight of apples in a bag

      5 height of trees in a park

       Exercise 8

      Answer these questions.

      1 Explain the difference between a quantitative and a qualitative variable.

      2 Give an example of each type of variable.

      3 Explain why:

      ‘type of tree’ is a qualitative variable

      ‘number of pupils in a class’ is a quantitative variable

       Exercise 9

      Without looking back at the section ‘What is statistics?’, put these statistical stages into the correct order.

      1 organize data

      2 present data

      3 collect data

      4 interpret data

       Exercise 10

      Use the words in the box to complete these questions about the stages above.

      data features patterns sets of data

      display method present technique

      1 What type of ________are we interested in?

      2 Which data collection ________shall we use?

      3 What ________shall I use to summarize my data?

      4 What interesting ________or ________can I see?

      5 What questions do my ________answer?

      6 What is the clearest way to ________and ________my data?

       Exercise 11

      Match the questions in Exercise 10 to the stages in Exercise 9.

       Using spreadsheets

      You can store, organize and present your data in a computer program called a spreadsheet.

       Glossary

      grid A grid is something which is in a pattern of straight lines that cross over each other, forming squares. On maps the grid is used to help you find a particular thing or place.

      row A row of things or people is a number of them arranged in a straight line.

      intersection An intersection is a place where lines or roads meet or cross.

      cell A cell is one of the small squares in a chart or spreadsheet into which you can add a single piece of data.

      A spreadsheet appears as a table or grid containing a set of rows and columns. Rows are displayed horizontally on the grid and each one is labelled with a number (1, 2, 3 …); the label for each column

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