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# Reading picture graphs

Interpret picture graphs (pictographs) to answer single-step questions about a context.

### Reading picture graphs

Picture graphs use pictures or symbols to represent data. Let's look at the picture graph below.
Hopper the rabbit and her friends are collecting carrots. They made a picture graph to show how many carrots each of them collected.
A picture of a carrot equals 3 carrots.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Rabbits and the vertical axis labeled Number of carrots collected. Rabbits are listed along the horizontal axis from left to right as follows: Hopper, Flash, Floppy, and Whiskers. The number of carrots collected by each rabbit is the number of pictures of carrots plotted on the graph. Hopper is represented by 4 pictures of carrots, Flash is represented by 7 pictures of carrots, Floppy is represented by 5 pictures of carrots, and Whiskers is represented by 3 pictures of carrots.
Each
Carrot picture.
represents start color #1fab54, 3, end color #1fab54 carrots collected by the rabbits. Since Hopper has start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd
Carrot pictures.
above her name in the picture graph, we can multiply to find out how many carrots she collected.
start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd, times, start color #1fab54, 3, end color #1fab54, equals, 12
Hopper collected 12 carrots.
We can follow the same steps to find how many carrots each of Hopper's friends collected.
Practice Problem 1
How many carrots did Floppy collect?

### Example $1$1: Flowers

John graphed the number of flowers he planted in his garden.
A picture of a flower equals 5 flowers.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Types of flowers planted and the vertical axis labeled Number of flowers. Each type of flower planted is listed along the horizontal axis from left to right as follows: Roses, Tulips, Daisies, and Lilies. The number of flowers for each type of flower planted is represented by the number of pictures of flowers plotted on the graph. Roses are represented by 3 pictures of flowers, Tulips are represented by 5 pictures of flowers, Daisies are represented by 3 pictures of flowers, and Lilies are represented by 7 pictures of flowers.
Practice Problem 2A
How many total flowers did John plant?
flowers

Practice Problem 2B
How many more lilies did John plant than roses?
more lilies.

Practice Problem 2C
John planted the same amount of which two flowers?
Choose all answers that apply:

### Example $2$2: Boat captains

Four boat captains, Ron, Dora, Jess, and Mark made a graph of the number of whales they saw while at sea last month.
A picture of a whale equals 4 whales.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Number of whales seen and the vertical axis labeled Boat captains. Each boat captain is listed along the vertical axis from bottom to top as follows: Ron, Dora, Jess, and Mark. The number of whales seen by each boat captain is represented by the number of pictures of whales plotted on the graph. Ron is represented by 3 pictures of whales, Dora is represented by 2 pictures of whales, Jess is represented by 5 pictures of whales, and Mark is represented by 6 pictures of whales.
Practice Problem 3A
Dora saw
fewer whales than Mark.

Practice Problem 3B
Which captain(s) saw more than 10 whales?
Choose all answers that apply:

### Example 3: Creating a picture graph then reading it

Alyssa counts sheep to help her go to sleep. She made a table of how many sheep she counted over the past four days.
DayNumber of sheep counted
Monday18
Tuesday12
Wednesday14
Thursday10
Practice Problem 4A
**Use the table to create a picture graph. Click above each category to insert the correct number of
Sheep pictures.
symbols.**
A picture of a sheep equals 2 sheep.

Now that we have created our picture graph, let's answer some questions.
Practice Problem 4B
Alyssa counted
fewer sheep on Tuesday than on Monday.

Practice Problem 4C

### Challenge question

How many more sheep did Alyssa count on Monday and Tuesday combined than on Wednesday?
more sheep

## Want to join the conversation?

• Do you have to do the Challenge even if you don't want to do it?
• yea you do have to do the challenge even if you don't want to
• Do you have to answer all of them in one day
• i got the sheep bar graph correct but its saying im wrong
• R u suuure bout that
• I have no question but that was easy
• this is confusing
• no it is not