Tidy Tables Statistics In Your World 
Student Notes
Teachers Notes
Clearing the Table
 
Pedestrian Casualties
 
Unemployment
 

Making Sense of the Data
Sometimes tables can be very hard to read. We shall now look at ways in which we can make them easier to read.

 

Clearing the Table
You will need page R2.

Look at Table 9 on page R2. The numbers are big and hard to read. So it is difficult to see any patterns.

We can make this table easier to read by writing each number to the nearest hundred. To help you, in Table 4 the 'Often' column is written as it was and then with figures to the nearest hundred.

For example, 2989 is nearer 30 hundreds than 29 hundreds, so we write 30 in the 'Hundreds' column.
4207 is 42 hundreds to the nearest hundred, so we write 42 in the 'Hundreds' column.

 
Activity Actual figures 'Often' Hundreds 'Often'
Reading books 2989 30
Playing outdoor games 4207 42
Swimming 2325 23
Playing indoor games 2806 28
Watching TV 7195 72
Going to parties 2103 21
Dancing 4427 44
Voluntary work 775 8

Table 4 - Leisure activities: Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.

Ask your teacher if you do not understand this table.

In Table 11 on page R2 we have started to rewrite Table 9 with figures to the nearest hundred.
a Complete Table 11.
b Is it easier or harder to read than Table 9?
c What is the advantage of writing the table in this way?
d Are there any disadvantages?

Before you go on, show your table to your teacher for checking.

Use Table 11 to answer the following questions in hundreds: to the nearest hundred.
e How many of the 16 year olds asked went swimming sometimes?
f How many never did voluntary work?
g How many people often played indoor games and sports?
h For which activity did most people say like to, but no chance?
i Which activity did most people do often?
j Write two more statements about leisure activities using the figures in the table.

 

Pedestrian Casualties
You will need page R2.

a Make out a simple version of Table 10 by writing each number to the nearest hundred.

Remember to put the word'Hundreds'at the top of the table.
b Write three statements about pedestrian casualties using these figures.

 

Unemployment
You will need pages R3 and R4.

Look at Table 12. This is a very difficult table to read, so let us tidy it up. In Table 13 we have started to write the figures to the nearest thousand. We have also shortened the headings, for example, South-East to SE.

a Complete this table.

The table is still awkward to read if we want to see any patterns.

To help further we put the columns in a different order. This is shown in Table 14.

The region with lowest total unemployment is EA. This is on the right.
b Complete Table 14 with the columns in this new order.

Look at any row and read from left to right. In general the figures get smaller.
c Put a ring round any two exceptions to this.
Here is an example:
The 'Males total' line reads:

Figures that do not follow the pattern may need explaining. We could have expected more men to be unemployed in Scotland.
d Look across the other rows and find similar misfits.
e Write down comments about three of these figures.

 

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