Data Handling: Overview, Questions, Preparation

Data handling is known as the process of collection, organisation and representation of data. Collecting some given data and presenting it in a more comprehensible form is the basic job of data handling. This topic is beneficial in our daily lives as our brain constantly interacts with our surroundings and records these interactions as data which is later processed and classified in a presentable form. For example, water evaporating at 100 degree Celsius is nothing but data.

As mentioned above, data handling is collecting and classifying data in a presentable and comprehensible form. When we say that water evaporates at 100 degree Celsius, it signifies that 100 degree Celsius is hot and that water would not evaporate at a temperature less than that. We gather the raw data, and it is the process of data handling which gives meaning to this raw data and adds to the existing knowledge of humanity. There are two basic types of Data:

Quantitative data: That which can be quantified in numbers.

Qualitative data: That which cannot be quantified in numbers.
The example given above belongs to the category of quantitative data. An example of qualitative data could be – New Delhi is the capital of India.

Collection of Data

As the name suggests, it is the process of collecting data from various sources. It is important to note here that mere collection becomes useless when one is not acquainted with the purpose for which such data is needed. For example, if one needs to calculate his percentage in a particular examination, he would try to ascertain the marks obtained by him in different subjects. The need to calculate percentage is the purpose for which the data has to be collected. Without a purpose, the process of collection of data yields no result. Even if his teacher tells him the marks obtained by him in various subjects, it would be in vain if he does not know that he needs to calculate his percentage.

Organisation of Data

The next step after collection is the organisation of data. For the collected data to be useful, one needs to put it in an organised manner to have some relevant context. Following the previous example, the teachers tell him the marks he obtained in various subjects. Instead of recording this information in an organised manner, he calculates the percentage. Later on, if he wishes to know the marks he obtained in English, he would not be able to do so, unless he goes through collecting the data again. Hence, it is imperative to record and classify the collected data in an organised and contextual manner.

Representation of Data

There are several ways of representing data, and the choice of a particular method depends on the use of such data. The various ways of representing data are:

• Bar Graphs
  Pictographs
• Line Graphs
• Histograms
• Pie-Charts
• Dot Plots
• Stem and Leaf Plots
• Cumulative Tables and Graphs
• Frequency Distribution

Q: What is data handling?

Q: What are some types of methods of representing data?

Q: What job does data handling fulfil?

Q: What is the weightage allotted to this topic in the examination?

Q: What are the main components of data handling?