Measure several objects, then put one mark above the length you measured.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
The scale can hold fractions
If some objects are 3 and a half, the scale needs a mark there too.
The shape tells you something
The tallest stack shows the most common length. Gaps show lengths nothing measured.
Plotting measurements that are not whole
Measure ten pencils to the nearest fourth of an inch and you get values like 4 1/4 and 4 3/4. A line plot with a fraction scale gives each of those a place, and a mark goes above whichever value each pencil matched.
Marking the scale in fractions
The number line along the bottom must show every fraction you might record — all the fourths, not just the whole numbers. Leave the spaces equal, exactly as on a ruler, since that is what the scale is copying.
What the plot shows
The tallest stack is the most common length. A wide spread means the pencils vary a lot; a tight cluster means they are similar. Turning a list of measurements into a shape you can read at a glance is what data displays are for.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap and try it out.
234567
Length in inches15 things were measured in all.
The tallest column is at 4, with 5 marks.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Ana Plot Her Measurements
Ana measures fifteen pencils and records each length.
- Step 1
She draws a scale from her shortest length to her longest.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
Reading the Plot
Problem 1 of 2
A plot has 4 marks at 3 in and 5 at 4 in. How many pencils were 3 or 4 inches?
pencils
The Most Common
Problem 2 of 2
Stacks of 1, 4, 5, 3, 0 and 2. What is the tallest stack?
marks
Read the Line Plot
1 of 3
Stacks of 1, 4, 5, 3, 0 and 2. How many measurements in all?
2 of 3
5 marks at 4 in and 3 at 5 in. How many more measured 4?
3 of 3
A column with no marks means what?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
Stacks of 2, 3, 4 and 1. How many measurements in all?
Question 2 of 2
What does the tallest stack tell you?
What You Learned
- A line plot puts one mark above the measured length.
- The scale can include halves and fourths.
- The tallest stack is the most common measurement.