Skill: Create line plots

A line plot shows how many times each measurement appears.

1. Look at the measurements.
2. Find the smallest and largest values.
3. Draw a horizontal number line with whole-number labels.
4. Put one mark, such as an $X$, above a number for each measurement.
5. Stack the marks when the same measurement appears more than once.

Example: These are the lengths of 7 pencils, measured in inches:

$$3,\ 5,\ 4,\ 3,\ 6,\ 4,\ 3$$

First, make a number line from $3$ to $6$, because $3$ is the smallest length and $6$ is the largest.

Next, place the marks:

• There are three pencils that are $3$ inches long, so stack 3 marks above $3$.
• There are two pencils that are $4$ inches long, so stack 2 marks above $4$.
• There is one pencil that is $5$ inches long, so place 1 mark above $5$.
• There is one pencil that is $6$ inches long, so place 1 mark above $6$.

      X
      X   X
  X   X   X   X
  |   |   |   |
  3   4   5   6
Length of pencil (inches)

Finally, check that the total number of marks is $7$, because there were $7$ pencils.