Word Problems: Data & Graphs
Learn
Graphs and data help us answer real questions! Let's practice using graph information to solve problems.
Types of Questions to Ask About Data
- How many? - Read the value from the graph
- How many more/fewer? - Subtract to compare
- How many in all? - Add the values together
- Which has the most/least? - Compare all values
Steps to Solve Graph Problems
- Read the question carefully
- Find the data you need on the graph
- Calculate using the right operation
- Check that your answer makes sense
Examples
Example Data: Favorite Pets Survey
Dogs: 12 votes | Cats: 8 votes | Fish: 5 votes | Birds: 3 votes
Question: How many more students chose dogs than cats?
Solution: 12 - 8 = 4 more students chose dogs.
Example: Total Calculation
Using the same data: How many students voted in all?
Solution: 12 + 8 + 5 + 3 = 28 students voted.
Practice
Use this data for questions 1-5: A class recorded favorite fruits. Apples: 9, Bananas: 6, Oranges: 7, Grapes: 4
1. Which fruit was the most popular?
A) Bananas
B) Oranges
C) Apples
D) Grapes
Answer
C) Apples - Apples had 9 votes, more than any other fruit.
2. How many more students chose apples than grapes?
A) 4 students
B) 5 students
C) 13 students
D) 9 students
Answer
B) 5 students - 9 - 4 = 5 more students chose apples.
3. How many students chose bananas OR oranges?
A) 6 students
B) 7 students
C) 13 students
D) 1 student
Answer
C) 13 students - 6 + 7 = 13 students.
4. How many students participated in the survey?
A) 22 students
B) 26 students
C) 28 students
D) 30 students
Answer
B) 26 students - 9 + 6 + 7 + 4 = 26 students.
5. Which fruit was the least popular?
A) Apples
B) Bananas
C) Oranges
D) Grapes
Answer
D) Grapes - Grapes had only 4 votes, the fewest.
Use this data for questions 6-10: Books read in one week. Monday: 3, Tuesday: 5, Wednesday: 2, Thursday: 4, Friday: 6
6. On which day were the most books read?
A) Monday
B) Tuesday
C) Thursday
D) Friday
Answer
D) Friday - 6 books were read on Friday, more than any other day.
7. How many books were read in total during the week?
A) 15 books
B) 18 books
C) 20 books
D) 22 books
Answer
C) 20 books - 3 + 5 + 2 + 4 + 6 = 20 books.
8. How many more books were read on Friday than Wednesday?
A) 2 books
B) 3 books
C) 4 books
D) 8 books
Answer
C) 4 books - 6 - 2 = 4 more books.
9. How many books were read on Tuesday and Thursday combined?
A) 7 books
B) 8 books
C) 9 books
D) 10 books
Answer
C) 9 books - 5 + 4 = 9 books.
10. If the goal was to read 25 books, how many more books would need to be read?
A) 3 books
B) 4 books
C) 5 books
D) 6 books
Answer
C) 5 books - 25 - 20 = 5 more books needed.
Next Steps
- Practice reading graphs in newspapers or online
- Create your own survey and make a graph
- Continue to Common Mistakes