Characteristic of information: context

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. A spreadsheet cell contains only the number 38. Is this enough to know what it means?

A Yes, a number always explains itself

B No, it needs context such as what was measured and where

2. Which detail is part of the context of a dataset?

A The date and place the data was collected

B The colour of the spreadsheet header

3. A table shows 'Rainfall: 0 mm' but does not say which day or town. What is missing?

A Context: the date and place of collection

B Encryption: the data needs to be locked

4. Why does the purpose of collection matter as context?

A It shows why the data was gathered, so we can judge how to use it

B It makes the file size smaller

5. A 2015 survey of Year 7 phone use is used to describe students today. What is the problem?

A Surveys can never be used again

B The date of collection is ignored, so the data may be misread

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Collected: 12 Jan 2023, Mildura		AThe date of collection was ignored, so old data is misread as current. The context shows it may no longer be relevant.
2Purpose: track student canteen sales		BContext showing why the data was collected, which helps you judge if it suits your own use
3The number 38 only becomes meaningful when you know it is a temperature in degrees Celsius recorded in Darwin in January		CSource: ABS Census 2021, purpose: population count
4Context records who collected the data and why, so users can judge whether to trust it and use it		DThe figure has no context, so nobody knows if it is for one day or one year, or for which store. It can easily be misread.
5Sales: 5000 (no date or location given)		EContext showing the date and place of collection, which tells you when and where the data applies
6Using 2005 survey data to describe teenagers today		FTemp: 38 C, Darwin, Jan 2024

Definitions

context

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

_______ = "who, when, where, why"

temperature = 38 ____ = "14/01/2024" place = "Mildura"

temperature = 38 date = "14/01/2024" _____ = "Mildura"

sales = 20 _______ = "Compare with last year"

reading = 38 IF _______ = "missing" THEN risk = "misread"

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A IF context is present THEN

B data can be misread

C ELSE

D data has clear meaning

Question 2

A temp ← 41

B place ← 'January'

C date ← '13 Jan 2024'

D OUTPUT temp, place, date

Question 3

A sales ← 560

B days ← 7

C daily ← sales * days

D OUTPUT daily, 'per day'

Question 4

A FOR each dataset

B RECORD only the numbers

C END FOR

Question 5

A rain ← 12

B place ← 'Cairns'

C date ← 'Feb 2024'

D OUTPUT rain, city, date

Answer Key

Characteristic of information: context

Section A: Quick Questions

B — No, it needs context such as what was measured and where

A — The date and place the data was collected

A — Context: the date and place of collection

A — It shows why the data was gathered, so we can judge how to use it

B — The date of collection is ignored, so the data may be misread

Section B: Match the Pairs

Collected: 12 Jan 2023, Mildura → Context showing the date and place of collection, which tells you when and where the data applies

Purpose: track student canteen sales → Context showing why the data was collected, which helps you judge if it suits your own use

The number 38 only becomes meaningful when you know it is a temperature in degrees Celsius recorded in Darwin in January → Temp: 38 C, Darwin, Jan 2024

Context records who collected the data and why, so users can judge whether to trust it and use it → Source: ABS Census 2021, purpose: population count

Sales: 5000 (no date or location given) → The figure has no context, so nobody knows if it is for one day or one year, or for which store. It can easily be misread.

Using 2005 survey data to describe teenagers today → The date of collection was ignored, so old data is misread as current. The context shows it may no longer be relevant.

Section C: Definitions

context — The background to data, such as who collected it, when, where and why, which gives the data its meaning. Without it, data can be misread.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

context = "who, when, where, why"

temperature = 38
date = "14/01/2024"
place = "Mildura"

temperature = 38
date = "14/01/2024"
place = "Mildura"

sales = 20
purpose = "Compare with last year"

reading = 38
IF context = "missing" THEN
  risk = "misread"

Section E: Spot the Error

A — The program says data can be misread, which only happens when context is missing. Line 1 should be IF context is missing THEN.

B — place should store where the data was collected, such as 'Mildura'. 'January' is a time, not a place, and the date is already stored separately.

C — The 560 sales were collected over a 7-day period. To get sales per day you divide by days, not multiply. Line 3 should be daily ← sales / days.

B — Context is who collected the data, when, where and why. Recording only the numbers leaves out the context. Line 2 should be RECORD who, when, where, why.

D — The variable city was never created. The place context is stored in place, so line 4 should be OUTPUT rain, place, date.