EDEXCEL GCSE FOUNDATION MATHS - What are Pictograms

Edexcel GCSE Foundation Maths: What are Pictograms?

Introduction

Pictograms are a type of chart that uses pictures or symbols to represent data. They are a simple and visually appealing way to display information, making it easy to understand.

Key Features of Pictograms

• Pictures: Each picture represents a specific value.
• Key: A key explains what each picture represents.
• Scale: The key indicates the value that each picture represents, e.g., one picture could represent 10 people, 50 cars, or 100 pounds.
• Clear Title: A clear title tells you what the pictogram is showing.

Example

Let’s say we want to show the number of cars sold in a week at a car dealership. Here’s how we could create a pictogram:

Title: Cars Sold This Week

Key: ? = 10 Cars

Explanation:

• This pictogram shows the number of cars sold each day of the week.
• The key indicates that each car symbol represents 10 cars.
• You can quickly see that the most cars were sold on Saturday.

Advantages of Pictograms

• Easy to understand: They are visually appealing and easy to interpret, even for people who are not comfortable with numbers.
• Engaging: The use of pictures makes them more engaging and memorable than other types of charts.
• Compare data: They make it easy to compare data across different categories.

Disadvantages of Pictograms

• Limited accuracy: Pictograms are not as precise as other types of charts, such as bar charts or line graphs.
• Limited data: They are not suitable for displaying large amounts of data.

Conclusion

Pictograms are a useful tool for displaying data in a simple and visually appealing way. They are especially useful for presenting information to a wide audience, including children. However, they are not always the best choice for displaying complex or precise data.