Measurements, Tables, and Graphs

Linear Measurements

• This is how we measure the length, width, or height of an object.• Standard measurements include inches, feet, yards, and miles.• The metric system unit is meters (m).

Area

• Area is used to measure the amount of space in a flat surface.• To find area, use the formula length x width• The unit will be the linear measurement unit used^2• Ex.) in^2, m^2

Perimeter

• Perimeter measures the length around the sides of an object.• To calculate perimeter, add the lengths of all sides together.• The unit will be the linear measurement unit used.• Ex) inches, meters, kilometers

4

8

Mass

• Measures how much matter is in an object• Mass is different from weight! Weight involves gravity,

and is different for every planet.• We measure mass with a triple beam balance and use

the metric unit gram (g)

Volume• This measures how much space an object

takes up.• Three ways to measure volume:• For cubic or rectangular shapes,

use the formula “length x width x height.” The unit is cm3• For irregularly shaped objects, use

the water displacement method. The unit is mL• For liquids, use a beaker or graduated

cylinder to measure the volume. The unit is mL or L

Density

• The density of an object describes how much mass it has per unit of volume.• Objects with a high density can be very heavy at small

sizes. Objects with a low density can be very light at large sizes. • To measure density, use the formula mass/volume.• The unit will be g/mL or g/cm^3

Temperature

• We use a thermometer to measure temperature.• The standard unit of measurement for

temperature is °F• The metric system measures

temperature in °C

Creating Tables

• Tables help us to organize our data into a way that is easier to read• Tables also make a great way to take down your data so

that it stays organized

Creating Tables

• Pretend that we need to make a table organizing how many people in three classrooms have a birthday in each month.• The FIRST step in creating our table is to give it a title.

The title needs to be simple, and should tell us what the information means.• Can you think of a good title for our table?

Creating Tables• Now that we have a

title, we need to draw the table.• How many months

are in a year? This is how many ROWS we will need.• How many classrooms

are we collecting data from? This is how many COLUMNS we will need.

Birthdays in each Month for Class A, B, and CClass A Class B Class C

JanuaryFebruary

MarchAprilMayJuneJuly

AugustSeptember

OctoberNovemberDecember

Creating Tables

• Now, we get to add our data.• We count that in Class A, 3 people have birthdays in

January, 2 In February, 5 in March, 7 in April, 1 in May, 4 in June, 0 in July, 4 in August, 9 in September, 6 in October, 3 in November, and 5 in December.• This is the easy part! We will look under our column for

Class A, and enter in our data in the row for each month.

Class A Class B Class CJ anuary 3February 2March 5April 7May 1J une 4J uly 0

August 4September 9October 6

November 3December 5

Birthdays in each Month for Class A, B, and C

Creating Tables

• Now we just record the number of birthdays in each month that we count in Class B and Class C.• Our table should

look something like this…

Class A Class B Class CJ anuary 3 3 1February 2 6 7March 5 2 3April 7 1 9May 1 8 4J une 4 3 2J uly 0 3 6

August 4 6 4September 9 9 1October 6 4 0

November 3 1 3December 5 1 7

Birthdays in each Month for Class A, B, and C

Class A Class B Class CJ anuary 3 3 1February 2 6 7March 5 2 3April 7 1 9May 1 8 4J une 4 3 2J uly 0 3 6

August 4 6 4September 9 9 1October 6 4 0

November 3 1 3December 5 1 7

Birthdays in each Month for Class A, B, and C

Creating Graphs• Graphs are important because they help us to see what

is happening with our data• The first step in creating a graph is to give it a title. This

title needs to include the independent and dependent variables.• Let’s identify the independent variable in our study…

the months• What is our dependent variable? What changes

depending on the month?the number of birthdays

Creating Graphs

• Now we need to label our graph.• The TITLE goes at

the top.• The INDEPENDENT VARIABLE goes on the x axis (horizontal)• The DEPENDENT VARIABLE goes on the y axis (vertical)

Month

Nu

mb

er

of

Bir

thd

ays

Number of Birthdays in Each Month

Creating Graphs• The next step is to label the units on our graph.• What are the units for the independent variable (months)?• January, February, March, April, May, June,

July, August, September, October, November, December

• To find the units for the dependent variable, look at our data. • What is the smallest number? What is the

largest?• We can label our graphs in units of one, from

zero to 10.

Class A

January 3

February 2

March 5

April 7

May 1

June 4

July 0

August 4

September 9

October 6

November 3

December 5

Creating Graphs

Creating Graphs

• Now, we just need to plot the points on our graph.• Look at the data. Find

the first independent variable (January) and its corresponding dependent variable (3).• Place a point at this

spot on the graph.

• If we plot the points for the rest of our data, the graph should look like this…

• The final step is to draw a line connecting the points.

DONE!

Bar Graphs• Bar Graphs are

another way of helping us see trends in our data.• To create a bar

graph, start by setting up the graph the same way we did with our line graph.

Bar Graphs

• Now, instead of drawing a point where our data goes, draw a bar up to the line.• Repeat this step for each of the months.• Fill in your bars.

Bar Graphs

Circle Graphs

• Think of a circle graph as a pizza. A circle graph helps you see parts of a whole. (Slices of a pizza)

Circle Graphs

• The first step in creating a circle graph is to create… a circle!• The whole circle represents the whole number of subjects you are counting.• For our data, this would be the total number of students

in Class A. 49 students

Circle Graphs

• Next, we will need to section of “slices” of the circle to represent each number in our data.• These “slices” should be bigger or smaller depending on

their number. Remember, they are representing pieces of our 49 students!• A “slice” of 2 out of 49 should not be very big! A slice of

30 out of 49 would take up more than half!

Circle Graphs

• Now, we need to color in each piece of the graph with a different color so we can create a legend.• A legend helps us to know what the different “slices”

represent when we view a circle graph, what different bars represent on a bar graph, or what different lines represent on a line graph. They are usually color coded.• To create a legend, just make a mark of each color you

use beside the graph, then label what the color stands for.• In our graph, we want to be able to tell which month

each of the “slices” represents.