Topic ladders · Data Representation · Family table
Family table: Data Representation
All four rungs side by side. A younger child and an older one can do the same topic together, each at their own level.
To print it, use your browser's Print button; it fits best on a page turned sideways (landscape). The full steps, the help for grown-ups and the notes for teachers are on the topic page.
| Step | Classes 1–3 | Classes 4–7 | Classes 8–10 | Classes 11–12 |
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| Activity | Representing Information with Symbols | Binary – On and Off | Representing Text, Images and Sound | Data Representation Trade-offs |
| Safety | – | – | – | – |
| What you need |
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| Notice | We can use pictures or symbols instead of long words (like the signs on a road or a bus). | Computers store everything using just two states: on and off. | Computers store text, pictures and sound as numbers. | Different representations involve trade-offs between size, quality and processing speed. |
| Guess | How can you show the weather, or the number of children present, using only symbols? | How can we show numbers using only two symbols (0 and 1)? | How can letters, black-and-white pictures, or simple sounds be turned into numbers? | How does changing resolution, colour depth or sample rate affect file size and quality? |
| Try | Create a simple code or set of symbols for daily information (weather, how many children came today, how the class feels). | Count in binary using beads, cards or written 0s and 1s up to at least 15 (with 4 places) or 31 (with 5 places). | Encode a short word using a code table (ASCII: A = 65, B = 66…), create a black-and-white bitmap on an 8 × 8 grid (1 = black, 0 = white), and discuss how sound can be sampled (measuring the height of the sound wave many times a second). | Investigate or calculate the effects of different representation choices. |
| Observe | Can others understand your symbols without explanation? | Look at the pattern as numbers increase. Which place changes every time? | Count how many bits each representation needs. | Compare results quantitatively. |
| Explain | Show your system and improve unclear symbols. | Explain how place value works in binary: from the right, the places are worth 1, 2, 4, 8, 16… (each is double the one before). Example: 1011 = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11. | Explain one representation method clearly. | Discuss the trade-offs and typical real-world choices (images, audio, video). |
| Ask another question | Can you make a symbol story that others can read? | How would you show a simple picture using only on/off squares? | What happens to quality when we use fewer bits for an image or sound? | How do compression techniques change these trade-offs? |
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