Pictograph in Statistics (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

**Pictograph in Statistics: A pictograph is a visual representation of data employing images or symbols. It depicts the frequency or occurrence of data by utilizing relevant symbols or images. Pictographs provide a straightforward method to convey statistical information.

In statistics, we use the concept of data handling to deal with large data sets. The methods of data handling include bar graphs, histograms, pie charts, etc. Pictograph is essential for students of class 6 and class 7 to learn data handling.

In this article, we'll learn about **what are pictographs in maths, pictograph definitions, how to make a pictograph, and how to read a pictograph. We will also see examples of pictographs with explanations and also have some pictograph questions to practice on their own.

Table of Content

• What is a Pictograph in Maths?
  • Pictograph Meaning in Maths
• Parts of Pictograph
• How to Make a Pictograph?
• How to Read a Pictograph?
• Pictograph Example
• Advantages of Pictograph
• Disadvantages of Pictograph
• Pictograph Solved Examples
• Pictograph Questions for Class 3 & 4

What is a Pictograph in Maths?

A **pictograph is a way to show information using pictures and symbols instead of just numbers. It helps make data easier to understand compared to looking at the plain numbers. The scaled-up image represents the magnitude of the data point.

Pictograph Meaning in Maths

A pictograph is defined as a method of representing a dataset by a symbol or picture for a word or phrase.

A pictograph is made of using two words that are (picto from picture) and graph which means that organizing data in the form of pictures and graphs is known as a pictograph.

Parts of Pictograph

Parts of a pictograph include the following:

• **Title: It is a title that describes what the pictograph is of.
• **Icon or Symbol: This visual representation represents individual data points or categories.
• **Data values: It represents the quantity of each data point.
• **Labels: It provides more details about the data points.
• **Color (optional): It adds more meaning or readability to the pictograph.

How to Make a Pictograph?

To create a pictograph, follow the steps listed below:

1. **Understand the data: The first and foremost step to creating a pictograph is to understand the data i.e. the type of data given to create a pictograph.
2. **Choose icons or symbols: To create your pictograph you need to select an icon or image by which you are going to represent the data.
3. **Provide a scaling factor: You need to provide a scaling factor that represents the quantity or value of the icon.
4. **Use colours: This is the optional step that is used to enhance your pictograph.
5. **Present your Pictograph: After performing the above steps you can present it as a presentation.

How to Read a Pictograph?

To read a pictograph you need to follow the below given steps:

1. **Identify the data points: Identify the data points as they are labelled by using the meaning of images or icons.
2. **Count the icons or symbols: Count the number of icons or symbols associated with it. The number of icons represents the value of that data point. If there is a scaling factor, keep that in mind when counting.
3. **Interpret the data: Use the information you gathered in step 3 to interpret the data. For instance, if you see three apple images in a category called "Apples," and the key says that each icon symbolizes five apples, you may figure out that there are 3 x 5 = 15 apples in that category.
4. **Conclude: Now conclude from the above information.

Pictograph Example

In the above two headings we have learnt steps how to read and create pictograph, now we will learn to create and read a pictograph using an example.

Suppose you want to represent the number of books four students read in a month using a pictograph. The data for the same is given below:

• To create a pictograph we need to understand the data first that is the type of data as in our table some students are there with some books.
• Now, we will choose an icon to make a pictograph. After choosing an icon we will provide a scaling factor which will be 2 in the given example.
• Now, we will present our pictograph

To read the pictograph, identify the icon which is a book in this case, and then look for the scaling factor and then based on the scaling factor count the icons for every student and then find the value by multiplying the number of icons with the scaling factor(interpreting the data). Now find conclusions.

Now since each picture of book represent two books and the pictograph shows student A has two book pictures hence, student A has in total 2 × 2 = 4 books. Similarly Student B has 4 × 2 = 8 books, Student C has 3 × 2 = 6 books and Student D has 4 × 2 = 8 books.

Advantages of Pictograph

Since, the pictograph is one of the easiest way to represent a data. It has got several advantages. These advantages are discussed below:

• They are very easy to understand as they use only symbols to represent the data.
• Pictographs reduce complex data by representing it visually.
• They gain more attention from people as people feel it is complex to understand the raw data as compared to pictographs.
• Pictograph makes it very easy for the user to understand the raw data and draw insights from it.

Disadvantages of Pictograph

A pictograph although a very easy and convenient tool to represent data but it has also got some limitations especially in the case of lengthy and complex datasets. Let's learn the different disadvantages of Pictograph.

• Limited data is represented on pictographs. It is not suitable for large datasets.
• It can be complex to choose a scale for our pictograph.
• Pictographs may not capture all the data details, including outliers or extreme values.
• Pictographs often lack context, which means viewers may need additional information or labels to fully understand the data being presented.

Pictograph Solved Examples

Let us understand the concept with the help of an example.

**Example 1: Draw a line graph for the given data.

**Solution:

Here the scaling factor is 5

**Example 2: Draw a pictograph for the given data.

**Solution:

Here scaling factor will be 5 i.e. one picture of scaling factor will represent 5 ice creams.

**Example 3: Draw a pictograph for the given data.

**Solution:

Here scaling factor will be 10.

**Example 4: Draw a pictograph for the given data.

**Solution:

Here scaling factor is 1.

Pictograph Questions for Class 3 & 4

**Q1: Draw a pictograph based on fruit consumption.

**Q2: Draw a pictograph based on transportation choices by people.

**Q3: Draw a pictograph for the following data.

**Q4: Draw a pictograph for the following data.