← Years 5–6 Data & Information

Types of data: numbers and text

Numeric data is numbers you can calculate with, like 12 or 3.5. Text data is words and characters, like cat or a phone number, which you never add up or average.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Data, Information and Privacy — Module 2, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Representing data with binary — Module 2, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Representing Data with Numbers — Module 38, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Analysing and Visualising Data — Module 5

Understanding Types of data: numbers and text in Years 5–6 Data & Information

What it does: Phone numbers are labels made of digits. Writing it in quotes shows it is text, and it keeps the leading 0 and the spaces. Dates and times are special data. Computers can work out gaps between them, such as 5 days, but only when they are stored as real dates and not plain words. A name is made of characters, so it is text data. You cannot add up or average names. A postcode is a code or label, so we treat it as text. The number of books is a count you can add, so it is numeric. You can only add up values that are numeric. Ages are numbers you can calculate with.

Common mistakes: Quote marks turn 11 into text data, so the computer can't add 1 to it. Age is numeric data and should be written as age = 11. The word "three" is text, so it can't be multiplied by the price. The quantity is numeric data and should be qty = 3.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 1–10) and word search (Modules 1–20).

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Learning

Duo

Which kind of data is the number of goals a player scored, like 3?

Numeric data, because you can add and average itText data, because it is a single character

Matches

=SUM(A2:A4) where A2:A4 are "cat", "dog", "fish"

↓

SUM only works on numeric data. Pet names are text, so there is nothing to add up.

Applying

Meanings

Term

numeric data vs text data

Meaning

Numeric data is numbers you can calculate with, like 12 or 3.5. Text data is words and characters, like cat or a phone number, which you never add up or average.

Practice

Numeric: age = 12 (can be added up)

Testing

Gaps

This is data we can add up

Check Answer

Spots

1age = "11"

2next_age = age + 1

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Quick Questions

1. Which kind of data is the number of goals a player scored, like 3?

A. Text data, because it is a single character

B. Numeric data, because you can add and average it ✓

Goals scored are numbers you can calculate with, so they are numeric data. You could add them up or find the average.

2. Which kind of data is a pet's name, like Biscuit?

A. Text data, because it is made of letters ✓

B. Numeric data, because it is a name

A name is made of characters, so it is text data. You cannot add up or average names.

3. A phone number like 0412 345 678 should be stored as...

A. Numeric data

B. Text data ✓

You never add up or average phone numbers, and the starting 0 must be kept. So we store phone numbers as text.

4. Which question can you only answer with numeric data?

A. What is the average height of our class? ✓

B. What is the favourite colour of our class?

Averages need numbers you can calculate with. Favourite colours are words, so they are text data.

5. Which of these is text data?

A. Postcode 3000 stored as a label ✓

B. Number of books you read: 12

A postcode is a code or label, so we treat it as text. The number of books is a count you can add, so it is numeric.

Match the Pairs

age = 11 → Numeric data: a number you can add, subtract or average

name = "Mia" → Text data: letters in quote marks that you cannot add up

A phone number is text data because you never add or average it → phone = "0412 345 678"

A date like 5 March is stored as a date, so you can work out the days between two dates → days = "2025-03-10" - "2025-03-05"

=SUM(A2:A4) where A2:A4 are "cat", "dog", "fish" → SUM only works on numeric data. Pet names are text, so there is nothing to add up.

average_phone = AVERAGE(0412345678, 0498765432) → Phone numbers are text data, not numeric data, so averaging them is meaningless.

Key Term

numeric data vs text data

Numeric data is numbers you can calculate with, like 12 or 3.5. Text data is words and characters, like cat or a phone number, which you never add up or average.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Age: 12 This is numeric data we can add up

Hint: Type the kind of data made of numbers you can calculate with

2. Phone: "0412 345 678" This is text data, not for adding

Hint: Type the kind of data that phone numbers are, because we never add them up

3. Scores in B2 to B4 are numbers =SUM(B2:B4)

Hint: Type the function name that adds up numeric data

4. Today = 20, Test = 25 Days left = 25 - 20

Hint: Type the operator that finds the difference between two numbers

5. Numbers: 4 and 6 Average = (4 + 6) / 2

Hint: Type the operator that divides the total by how many numbers there are

Spot the Error

Question 1

A age = "11"

B next_age = age + 1

C print(next_age)

Line A — Quote marks turn 11 into text data, so the computer can't add 1 to it. Age is numeric data and should be written as age = 11.

Question 2

A price = 4.50

B qty = "three"

C total = price * qty

Line B — The word "three" is text, so it can't be multiplied by the price. The quantity is numeric data and should be qty = 3.

Question 3

A score1 = 8

B score2 = 9

C name = "Mia"

D total = name + score2

E print(name, total)

Line D — name is text data, so you can't add it to a number. The total should add the two numeric scores: total = score1 + score2.

Question 4

A name = "Sam"

B phone = 0412345678

C print(name, phone)

Line B — A phone number is text data because you never calculate with it. As a number it would lose its leading 0. It should be phone = "0412345678".

Question 5

A date = "12/03/2025"

B year = 2025

C next_year = date + 1

D print(date, next_year)

Line C — A date written like 12/03/2025 is text, so you can't add 1 to it. The year 2025 is a number, so next_year = year + 1 works.

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