---
title: "Data and Information for Computers"
description: "What data is: information that computers use, such as numbers, words, pictures, and sounds. Computers use data they receive and can make new results from that data."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/data-and-information-for-computers-mt_kH1DzOPsXG
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/data-and-information-for-computers-mt_kH1DzOPsXG.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Data and Information for Computers

What data is: information that computers use, such as numbers, words, pictures, and sounds. Computers use data they receive and can make new results from that data.

Subject: Computing · Area: Artificial Intelligence · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/data-and-information-for-computers-mt_kH1DzOPsXG

## Ready when they can

- Define data as information stored in a computer (numbers, text, images, sounds)
- Give at least three examples of data they create every day (photos, messages, search queries)
- Explain that a computer only knows data it receives or works out from other data. It does not know things from nothing.

## Lesson: What data is

A computer cannot think on its own. It uses data it receives and can make new results from that data. Data can be numbers, words, pictures, or sounds.

**Example.** When you take a photo on a phone, that photo is data. When you type a message, the words are data. When you search for a video, your search words are data too.

*(drawing: Photos, messages, searches, and voice notes are all data.)*

**Tip.** If a computer has never received information about something, it does not know it. A computer that has never received a photo or description of a cat cannot tell you what a cat looks like.

**Recap.** Data is information like numbers, words, pictures, and sounds that computers receive. Computers can also make new results from that data.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Step-by-Step Instructions](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/step-by-step-instructions-mt__p5n8z5soJ)
- [AI in Daily Life](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/ai-in-daily-life-mt_AzTrT5ySCx)

## Opens up

- [Recommendation Systems and Filter Bubbles](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/recommendation-systems-and-filter-bubbles-mt_EedcpioR0v)
- [Networks and the Internet](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/networks-and-the-internet-mt_JmrMg6v8V_)
- [Patterns and Classification](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/patterns-and-classification-mt_ofOGCQ7FWj)
- [Inside the Box: Input, Processing, Storage and Output](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/inside-the-box-input-processing-storage-and-output-mt_Oms8067Pnm)
- [Binary Numbers and Place Value](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/binary-numbers-and-place-value-mt_t67akIKBmI)