7.3 Monitoring progress Present a reflective commentary that makes reference to your ongoing notes and records and includes: What you did to manage your time as you worked on your course or work activities, and your own assessment of the effectiveness of your time management. For example, the use you made of your planning schedules, any changes you made to your deadlines, what you did about unexpected priorities and whether you feel your time management is effective.
7.2 Developing a strategy Present notes/records to show you have planned to use skills to improve your learning and performance. Include: A review of your current capabilities and your goals over an extended period of time (at least three months). Indicate how your goals relate to the context in which you are working and your current capabilities. Your evidence could include a skills audit based on the key skills criteria and other criteria given as part of your course
Acknowledgements Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following source for permission to reproduce material within this unit Figure 3 Source: National Statistics website:
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO Except for third party materials and otherwise stated
Acknowledgement
Figures
1.1.7 Using the memory buttons Calculations involving several operations can also be carried out in stages. One way to do this is to use the ‘=’ key part way through the calculation. You can also use the calculator's memory. The Windows calculator has a number of memory buttons, shown in Figure 2, to hel
1.1.5 Clearing the previous calculation To clear the previous calculation, click the ‘C’ button. Provided that no operation has been performed on an entered number, an incorrect entry can be deleted one digit at a time by clicking the ‘Backspace’ button. (This is labelled ‘Back’ on some versions of the Windows calculator.)
1.1.2 Launching the Windows scientific calculator From the Start menu on your Windows desktop choose ‘Programs’, then ‘Accessories’ and then ‘Calculator’ (if ‘Calculator’ doesn't appear on the menu, click the double down arrows at the bottom). If this is the first time you have used the Windows calculator then it is possible that only the standard view of the calculator will be displayed, but you will need to use the scientific view. To display this, click on the View menu in the calculator's menu bar and select ‘Scie
1.1.1 Operating the Windows calculator The Windows calculator is supplied with the Windows operating system. This section provides you with basic instructions for its use, and a few practice activities. The Windows calculator also provides a help menu that you can use.
Learning outcomes After finishing this unit you should be able to: use the Windows calculator to carry out basic operations and calculate percentages; interpret and use information presented in tables and charts; be able to round numbers appropriately.
9.1 Further reading
*The Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge, published by The Open University, 1990, ISBN 0 7492 00448. Chapter 4 is entitled ‘Working with numbers’ Other chapters are entitled: ‘Reading and note taking’, ‘Other ways of studying’, ‘What is good writing?’, ‘How to write essays’, ‘Preparing for examinations’.
The Sciences Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge, Jeff Thomas, Andrew Lane, Alice
8 Technical glossary This glossary is intended to provide a basic explanation of how a number of common mathematical terms are used. Definitions can be very slippery and confusing and at worst can replace one difficult term with a large number of other puzzling concepts. Therefore, where an easy definition is available it is provided here, where this has not been possible an example is used. If you require more detailed or complete definitions, you should refer to one of the very good mathematical dictionaries th
7.4 Spread So far in this section, you have seen that the mean, median and mode can all give a useful typical value of a set of data. However, there is further information that you can get from a set of data which can help to complete the picture. Consider the following two sets of data. Data set C: 113, 48, 26, 99, 64 The number of runs scored by 5.1.4 How do I draw a bar chart? First, you need to decide what it is you want your chart to illustrate. This may be governed by the data you have access to or you might need to collect the data yourself. Then the process is as below. Decide on a clear title. The title should be a brief description of the data that you want to show. Identify how many bars are needed. The bars correspond to the number of categories you have. For instance, if you are look 5.1.3 When is a bar chart not a good format to use? A bar chart is not the best way to show the link or mathematical relationship between two sets of data, for this you would use a line graph. 5.1.2 When are bar charts used? A bar chart is a good method of representation if you want to illustrate a set of data in a way that is as easy to understand as it is simple to read. In general, a bar chart should be used for data that can be counted so, for example, we could use a bar chart to show the number of families with 0, 1, 2 or more children. A bar chart could also be used to show how many people in one area use each of the different modes of transport to get to work. Bar charts are very useful for comparing 3.1.3 How do I design a table? As a student, you are likely to present data in a table after you have carried out an investigation, particularly when you are writing up the report. Some courses include a small-scale project and this is likely to be the point at which knowledge of how to design a table will be useful. The following steps form a reliable guide. Collect the data. In the case of a project, you are likely to collect the data yourself, possibly from other written 4.3.1 Pie charts A pie chart is a diagram in the form of a circle, with proportions of the circle clearly marked. A pie chart is a good method of representation if we wish to compare a part of a group with the whole group. It gives an immediate idea of the relative sizes of the shares. So, for example, it can be used to consider advertising income. It can also be used to look at, say, shares of market for different brands, or different types of sandwiches sold by a store. 4.1 Reading data from tables Tables are used as a way of describing what you are talking about in a structured format. They tend to be used to present figures, either as a summary or as a starting point for discussion. Tables are also probably the most common way of presenting data in educational courses. Tables have always been compiled by someone. In doing so, the compiler may have selected data and they will have chosen a particular format, either of which may influence the reader. You need to be aware of the co 7.1 Introduction If you want to improve your computing skills or knowledge, there are plenty of resources available to help you. This section aims to get your search started by providing you with some useful websites. Make your conference work You can make a big difference to the effectiveness of any conference, and to your tutor group conference in particular. We are going to discuss in turn the four main ways that you can help a conference work well: get involved; help people to get to know you; construct clear messages; take some responsibility. To get the most out of conferencing on your course, get involved 3.1 Introduction One of the most useful and rewarding things you can do with your computer is use it to communicate with your tutor, other students, and course staff. If you like exchanging ideas and information, sharing support with other students, asking questions and getting feedback from your tutor, then online communication can add a whole new dimension to your learning: “Email from another student really kept me going
7.4.1 Range and inter-quartile range
