Measure several things, then put one mark above the number you measured.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Different from a bar graph
The labels here are numbers on a scale, not names. Their order cannot change.
Gaps mean something
A number with no marks above it still takes up its place. It means nothing measured that.
Marks stacked over a number line
A line plot puts a number line along the bottom and stacks one mark above the line for each measurement. If three pencils are 12 cm long, three marks sit above the 12. The height of each stack is a count; the position is a value.
When a line plot is the right choice
Line plots suit measurements — lengths, heights, how many minutes something took. Bar graphs suit categories like favourite colour. The difference is whether the labels are numbers on a scale or names with no order.
What a line plot shows at a glance
The tallest stack is the most common measurement. Gaps show values nobody had. A mark far from the others stands out immediately. That instant shape-reading is why we plot data instead of leaving it in a list.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Add marks and watch the shape of the data change.
456789
Length in centimetres11 things were measured in all.
The tallest column is at 6, with 4 marks.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Make a Line Plot
Leo measures eleven pencils and records each length.
- Step 1
He draws a scale from the shortest length to the longest.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
Reading the Plot
Problem 1 of 2
A plot has 4 marks at 6 cm and 2 at 7 cm. How many pencils were 6 or 7 cm?
pencils
The Empty Column
Problem 2 of 2
A column at 8 cm has no marks. What does that mean?
Read the Line Plot
1 of 3
1 mark at 4, 3 at 5, 4 at 6. How many things in all?
2 of 3
3 marks at 5 and 4 at 6. How many more measured 6?
3 of 3
Can you reorder the numbers on a line plot?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
2 marks at 4, 5 at 5, 1 at 6. How many things in all?
Question 2 of 2
What does one × stand for?
What You Learned
- A line plot puts one mark above the number measured.
- The labels are a number scale, so their order is fixed.
- An empty column means nothing measured that.