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Create line plots

Creating a line plot organizes measurement data, typically lengths measured to the nearest whole unit, above a horizontal number line marked at whole-number values. Each mark represents one observation, so stacked marks show how often a value occurs while position shows its magnitude; the plot requires an appropriate scale and labels. Fractional intervals, unequal scales, and more advanced statistical summaries are not included at this level.

Detailed Explanation: 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 XX, 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, 33,\ 5,\ 4,\ 3,\ 6,\ 4,\ 3

First, make a number line from 33 to 66, because 33 is the smallest length and 66 is the largest.

Next, place the marks:

  • There are three pencils that are 33 inches long, so stack 3 marks above 33.
  • There are two pencils that are 44 inches long, so stack 2 marks above 44.
  • There is one pencil that is 55 inches long, so place 1 mark above 55.
  • There is one pencil that is 66 inches long, so place 1 mark above 66.
      X
      X   X
  X   X   X   X
  |   |   |   |
  3   4   5   6
Length of pencil (inches)

Finally, check that the total number of marks is 77, because there were 77 pencils.

Learn by doing: Create line plots

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    Graphing - Create Line Plot from Data (Text)

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