Download A Level Maths Statistics Edexcel large Data Set and more Study notes Mathematics in PDF only on Docsity!
The Large Data Set
Edexcel A Level Mathematics – Statistics Revision Notes
What Is the Large Data Set?
The Edexcel Large Data Set (LDS) consists of weather data collected at five UK weather stations and three overseas weather stations. The data covers the period from 1987 and 2015 , with daily readings recorded in May to October of each year (the summer period only
You are expected to have worked with this data set during your course. In the exam, questions about the LDS assume you are familiar with what variables are recorded, which locations were measured, and what typical values look like.
The Eight Locations
UK Stations: Camborne (Cornwall – far south-west) Heathrow (London – south-east England) Hurn (Dorset – south coast) Leeming (North Yorkshire – north England) Leuchars (Fife, Scotland – north) Overseas Stations: Jacksonville (Florida, USA) Perenjori (Western Australia) Beijing (China)
The Variables Recorded
Variable Notes Daily Mean Tem- perature
In degrees Celsius. Measured daily.
Daily Maximum Gust
Speed of the strongest wind gust (knots).
Daily Maximum Relative Humidity
As a percentage. 100% = fully saturated air.
Daily Mean Wind- speed
Average wind speed (knots).
Daily Total Rain- fall
In millimetres. Trace (tr) means less than 0.05mm. Daily Mean Pres- sure
Atmospheric pressure in hectopascals (hPa).
Daily Total Sun- shine
Hours of sunshine per day.
Daily Mean Cloud Cover
Measured in oktas (0–8 scale, where 8 = totally overcast). Daily Mean Visibil- ity
Visibility in decametres.
Daily Mean Dew- point
Temperature at which air is saturated (degrees Celsius).
“Trace” Rainfall When you see tr in the rainfall column, it means there was some rain but less than 0.05mm – effectively a trace amount. In calculations, you can treat tr as 0 unless told otherwise. Questions may ask you to recognise or interpret this.
What You Need to Know About the Data
Typical Patterns
You should be able to make sensible comments about what typical values look like at different locations:
Expected Patterns
Temperature: Jacksonville and Beijing tend to have higher summer temperatures than UK stations. Scottish stations (Leuchars) are cooler than southern England. Camborne is mild due to Atlantic influence. Sunshine hours: Generally more sunshine in southern UK and overseas stations (especially Perenjori and Jacksonville). Rainfall: UK western stations (Camborne, Hurn) tend to see more rainfall. Perenjori is in a dry region. Windspeed: Camborne and Hurn are notably windier (coastal exposure). Inland stations are more sheltered. Pressure: Relatively stable; varies with weather systems but averages around 1013
Exam Questions About the LDS
Types of Questions You’ll See
“Is this value consistent with the data set?” – You need to know what reason- able values look like. Temperatures of 40◦C in the UK would be unusual; sunshine hours of 0 are perfectly normal. “Comment on this sample from the LDS.” – Think about whether the selection is representative. A sample from only one month may not represent the whole May– October period. “Suggest one reason why the LDS may not represent the population.” – It only covers specific locations, specific years (1987 and 2015), and specific months (May–October). Climate change means 2015 data may not be typical of future pat- terns. Cleaning data – If a value seems impossible (e.g. negative sunshine hours), you might be asked how to handle it.
Limitations of the Large Data Set
Questions often ask you to evaluate or critique the LDS. Key limitations:
Only two years: 1987 and 2015 may not be representative of all years – weather can vary dramatically year to year.
Only May–October: Completely misses winter conditions. Fixed locations: Only 8 places in the whole world. Cannot generalise to areas not covered.
Measurement errors: Equipment malfunctions, human recording errors, and missing data (shown as “n/a”) can affect analysis.
Technology changes: Weather measuring equipment and methods changed between 1987 and 2015, potentially affecting consistency.
Important Exam Warning
Do not confuse the LDS with the sample. The LDS is itself a sample from the wider population of all weather observations. When a question asks you to take a sample from the LDS, your sampling frame is the LDS.
