Measurement & Data
Line Plots
Generating measurement data and displaying it on a line plot.
Plotting Individual Measurements
A scaled bar graph groups data into categories. A line plot displays something different: individual measurements, like the lengths of several pencils, each marked directly above its value on a number line.
Definition — Line Plot
To build a line plot, first draw a number line covering the range of the data, including fraction values when measurements aren't whole numbers. Then, for each measurement, place one mark directly above its value on the line.
Worked Example — Reading a Line Plot
Worked Example — Answering a Question from a Line Plot
Tip
Common Mistakes
Placing marks for repeated values side by side instead of stacked directly above the same point.
Every mark for the same measured value must stack directly above that one point on the number line, not spread out sideways.
Leaving out fraction values on the number line's scale when the data includes fractional measurements.
Mark the number line with the same fraction intervals the data actually uses, such as halves or fourths, so every measurement has an exact place to be plotted.
Key Takeaways
- A line plot shows individual measurements as marks above their value on a number line.
- Repeated values stack marks directly above the same point.
- A line plot's number line must include any fraction values the data actually uses.
Summary
Line plots display real measured data directly on a number line, connecting data display back to the fraction number line from earlier in this grade. The final unit returns to geometry, reasoning more deeply about how shapes relate to one another.
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