Pictographs

Pictographs are a fun and visual way to show information using pictures or symbols instead of just numbers. Think of them as "picture stories" that tell you data at a quick glance!

Imagine you're watching a cricket match and want to show how many runs each batsman scored.

You could write: "Chandrakant: 18 runs, Ramakant: 20 runs, Ahmed: 12 runs." But what if you drew cricket balls instead? One cricket ball = 6 runs. Much easier to understand by just looking at the pictures, right?

The scale is the rule that tells you what each picture means.

Common scales:

• 1 picture = 1 unit (easiest to read)

• 1 picture = 2 units (good for medium numbers)

• 1 picture = 5 units (good for large numbers)

• 1 picture = 10 units (for very large numbers)

Why different scales?

If you had 1,000 students to show, you'd need 1,000 pictures! That's too much. Instead, use 1 picture = 100 students, and you only need 10 pictures.

Remember: All numbers in your data must divide evenly by your chosen scale. If your numbers are 24, 12, 20, and 16, you can use scale 4 (since all divide by 4), so "1 picture = 4 units."

Question: The modes of travelling to school by 160 students are given below:

Draw a suitable pictograph.

Solution:

Step 1: Collect the data

Step 2: Choose a suitable symbol

Step 3: Decide on an appropriate scale

Step 4: Create a table with categories and pictures

Since every given number is completely divisible by 10, the scale will be
= 10 students (walking) 

= 10 students (using bicycles)

= 10 students (using a car) 

⁣= 10 students (using bus)

The required pictograph will be as shown below:

Mode	Number of students
By walking
On bicycles
By car
By bus

Nand Kishor asked children how often they sleep at least 9 hours each night. He showed the results using a pictograph.

Scale: Each triangle () = 10 children

Response	Number of Triangles	What it Means
Always		5 × 10 = 50 children
Sometimes		(2 × 10) + 5 = 25 children
Never		4 × 10 = 40 children

• How many children always sleep at least 9 hours?
  → 50 children (because 5 symbols = 5 × 10)

• How many children sometimes sleep at least 9 hours?
  → 25 children (2 full = 20, half = 5 → total = 25)

• How many children never sleep for 9 hours or more?
  → 40 children (4 symbols × 10)

• Pictographs use pictures/symbols to show data instead of just numbers
• Scale: Each symbol represents a fixed number (e.g., 1 ball = 6 runs)
• How to choose scale: All data numbers must divide evenly by the scale number
• Half symbols: Use half symbols for remainders (e.g., ◐ for half)