Page 64 - Mathematics Coursebook

6 Planning and collecting data

What is data? Another word for data is information. Key words
Key words
Key words
Many people work in jobs for which they need to collect
information. For example, companies need to collect information Make sure you learn and
understand these key words:
from customers to see how they can improve their products or
services. Doctors and nurses need to collect information to see how data

their patients are improving a"er taking certain medicines. information
A scientist may carry out an experiment and use the results from primary data
secondary data
the experiment to prove a new theory. #ey may be testing new questionnaire

medicines to see if they work. #ey may be testing new light data-collection sheet

bulbs to see if they last longer. Whatever they are testing, they are frequency table
collecting information or data. grouped frequency table
When you go on holiday, you may be asked to complete a class interval
questionnaire at the end of it. #e holiday company likes to know

what you thought about the services they provided. If everyone
thought the hotel food was poor, then the hotel management needs
to know so that they can talk to the chef. If everyone thought the
cleanliness of their room was excellent, then the hotel manager
needs to thank the cleaners for doing a great job. Any data they
collect will help them improve their services.

Please tick one box for each question.
1 What did you think of the hotel facilities?
Poor Average Good Excellent

2 What did you think of the hotel food?
Poor Average Good Excellent

3 What did you think of the cleanliness of your room?
Poor Average Good Excellent

A company that makes a product, such as shoes, needs
to collect information on the number of shoes that they

sell. #ey need to know which sizes, colours and styles are
the most popular, so they know which ones to produce
the most of. It’s not very sensible if they make more size
39 shoes than any other if most of the customers want a
size 36! Whatever data they collect will help them decide
which products are selling well and which aren’t.
In this unit you will learn about collecting data.

6 Planning and collecting data 63