1.5 Presenting data

Summary: How do you share large numbers of measurements or observations with others? Scientists use graphs to make it easier to see patterns or trends within data. Figure 1 shows an example. Tags: science oxford-science student-book-7 Created: 2026-05-19 Last Updated: 2026-05-19

After this topic, you will be able to:

• classify data as continuous, discrete, or categorical
• present data in a chart or graph.

Think back

1. Name some different types of graph.
2. What is an anomaly?
3. How do you calculate a mean?

Key idea There are three types of scientific data: continuous, discrete, and categorical. Based on the type of data collected, scientists present their results in a bar chart, a line graph, or a pie chart.

Key words continuous, discrete, categorical, bar chart, line graph, pie chart

How do you share large numbers of measurements or observations with others? Scientists use graphs to make it easier to see patterns or trends within data. Figure 1 shows an example.

Figure 1During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government used line graphs to show how the number of positive cases varied over time. Full text alternative to the content

Types of scientific data

When you carry out an investigation, the data you collect might be in the form of words or numbers. Data can be:

• continuous – the data can have any value within a range, such as length or temperature
• discrete – the data can have only whole-number values, such as shoe size or the number of insects collected
• categorical – the value is a word, such as ‘blue’ or ‘fizzing’.

Presenting scientific data

You will use three main types of chart or graph in science. These are:

• bar chart – used to plot discrete and categorical data
• line graph – used when both the independent and dependent variables are continuous
• pie chart – used to plot discrete and categorical data.

Drawing a bar chart

A group of students bounced a tennis ball on different surfaces. Their results are shown in the bar chart in Figure 2.

Figure 2A bar chart showing how high a tennis ball bounces on different surfaces. Full text alternative to the content

A Use Figure 2 to find how high the tennis ball bounces on a tiled surface.

Drawing a line graph

Figure 3 shows how Katie and Rahim plotted a graph from their data. They chose a line graph as their experiment produced continuous data.

Figure 3A line graph of Katie and Rahim’s results. It shows the effect of temperature on the mean bounce height of a tennis ball. Full text alternative to the content

Drawing a pie chart

Pie charts, like the one in Figure 4, use segments of a circle to represent the data. To plot a pie chart, you will need to use a protractor to measure the angle of each segment.

• Draw a line from the centre of the circle to the edge.
• Use a protractor to measure the angle of each segment as you draw them.
• Remember to label each segment.
• Shade each segment a different colour.

Figure 4A pie chart of Katie and Rahim’s survey results. The pie chart shows the types of floor covering used in hallways. Full text alternative to the content

B Use Figure 4 to identify which is the most common floor covering.

Stretch zone

1. Name the graphs and charts. Full text alternative to the content
2. Plot a bar chart of the data in Table 1. Table 1School transport type Number of students Walk 20 Cycle 12 Bus 6 Car 8

Stretch zone

1. A group of students investigates how the mass of a seed affects how long it takes to fall a distance of 1 m. State which type of graph the students should choose to present their data.Explain your answer.