← Years 5–6 Digital Systems

Types of data

The kind of information a digital system handles, such as text, numbers, images, sound or video. Each type is stored and used in its own way.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Digital Systems & Security — Module 19

Understanding Types of data in Years 5–6 Digital Systems

What it does: A .jpg file is a picture, so it is image data made up of pixels. An .mp4 file is a video, so it is video data that joins a series of images with sound. A photo is image data. Audio is sound data, like music or a voice recording. Names are text and scores are numbers. A video is a different data type. Text, images, audio and video each have their own formats and ways of being stored and played. Numbers are used for counting and calculating, so storing age as the number type lets the system do maths with it.

Common mistakes: Text data must be written inside quotes. Without them, Python treats Sam as a variable name instead of text. It should be name = "Sam". Text and numbers are different data types and cannot be joined with +. Use a comma to print both: print(text, number).

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Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 11–20) and word search (Modules 1–20).

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Learning
Duo
Which of these is a type of data a digital system can handle?
Only text and nothing elseSound, such as a recorded voice
Matches
song.mp3 = "image"
↓
An mp3 file is a song, so it is audio data, not image data. It should be song.mp3 = "audio"
Applying
Meanings
Term
data type
Meaning
The kind of information a digital system handles, such as text, numbers, images, sound or video. Each type is stored and used in its own way.
Practice
text: notes.txt
Testing
Gaps
photo.jpg is data
Check Answer
Spots
1name = Sam
2age = 11

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Quick Questions

1. Which of these is a type of data a digital system can handle?
A. Only text and nothing else
B. Sound, such as a recorded voice ✓
Digital systems handle many data types, including text, numbers, images, sound and video.
2. Which data type is a photo of your pet?
A. Image ✓
B. Audio
A photo is image data. Audio is sound data, like music or a voice recording.
3. Which data type is a song you stream online?
A. Audio ✓
B. Text
Music is sound, so it is audio data. Text data is made up of written characters.
4. Which is an example of text and numbers data?
A. A spreadsheet with names and scores ✓
B. A recorded video of a soccer match
Names are text and scores are numbers. A video is a different data type.
5. Which data type combines moving pictures with sound?
A. Text
B. Video ✓
Video data is a series of images shown quickly, usually along with audio.

Match the Pairs

data_type = "text" → Text data is made of letters, symbols and words, such as a message or a name
data_type = "audio" → Audio data is sound, such as music or a voice recording, stored by a digital system
A photo is image data, which a digital system stores as a grid of tiny coloured dots called pixels → photo.jpg = "image"
A clip with moving pictures and sound is video data, which combines images and audio → clip.mp4 = "video"
song.mp3 = "image" → An mp3 file is a song, so it is audio data, not image data. It should be song.mp3 = "audio"
age = "text" (age is 11) → A number such as 11 is numeric data, so the type should be "number", not "text"

Key Term

data type
The kind of information a digital system handles, such as text, numbers, images, sound or video. Each type is stored and used in its own way.

Fill in the Blanks

1. photo.jpg is image data
Hint: Type the data type a .jpg picture file holds.
2. song.mp3 is audio data
Hint: Type the data type for sound such as music.
3. clip.mp4 is video data
Hint: Type the data type for moving pictures with sound.
4. name = "Mia" is text data
Hint: Type the data type for letters and words.
5. "5" is text but 5 is number data
Hint: Type the data type used for counting and maths, which is the same value in a different form.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A name = Sam
B age = 11
C print(name, age)
Line A — Text data must be written inside quotes. Without them, Python treats Sam as a variable name instead of text. It should be name = "Sam".
Question 2
A text = "Hello"
B number = 42
C print(text + number)
Line C — Text and numbers are different data types and cannot be joined with +. Use a comma to print both: print(text, number).
Question 3
A photo = "cat.mp3"
B kind = "image"
C print(photo, "is", kind)
Line A — An image file should have an image extension such as .jpg. The .mp3 extension is for audio data. It should be photo = "cat.jpg".
Question 4
A song = "pop.mp3"
B kind = "video"
C print(song, "is", kind)
Line B — An .mp3 file holds sound, so its data type is audio, not video. It should be kind = "audio".
Question 5
A clip = "dance.mp4"
B kind = "video"
C fps = 30
D print(Frames:, fps)
Line D — The word Frames: is text, so it must be inside quotes. Without quotes Python reads it as code and gives an error. It should be print("Frames:", fps).

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