Hello readers, welcome back to another education post on the relevance of processing data into information. Data can quickly be processed into useful information by considering the following components:
- Classifying
- Calculation
- Sorting
- Summarizing
1. Classifying:
Classifying is a process of identifying specific characteristics in an item of data and putting them into a particular category according to those characteristics. Items of data with the same elements can be grouped. For example
, you can classify passengers on a train by:
- Age (children, youth, adults, senior citizens, etc.)
- Gender (male, female, etc.)
- Height (short, tall, average, etc.)
2. Calculation:
In calculating, data is processed by performing arithmetic manipulates such as adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying, etc., to provide meaningful results.
3. Sorting:
Data is processed by arranging them into a predetermined order or sequence in sorting. For example, a class roster may be placed in the order of students’ names (alphabetical order) or the order of students’ numbers (numerical order). Sorting is usually arranged to range from the smaller or lower values to bigger or higher values (ascending order). However, it is sometimes necessary to place things the other way round, that is, In descending order of data values.
4. Summarizing
This is a process of processing data whose purpose is to highlight or condense certain information to draw it more easily or quickly to the attention of the person who will use the information. For example, the contents of a lengthy report may be summarised in a few short paragraphs.
I hope you find this article interesting, don’t forget to share it with your friends and relatives.