What data is

Computing · Artificial Intelligence · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Data can be numbers, words, pictures, or sounds.
Circle one: True False
Which of these is data a computer can use?
- A photo you took
- A feeling you have not told anyone
- A dream you had last night
Which of these do you create every time you send a text message?
- A photo only
- Data
- Nothing, texts are not stored
A computer has never been given any information about dogs, such as pictures or words. What happens if you ask it what a dog looks like?
- It cannot tell you, because it has no data about dogs
- It guesses correctly every time
- It already knows without being told
Sam takes a photo, sends a message, and searches for a video. How many pieces of data did Sam create?
- 1
- 2
- 3
A computer can know things by itself, without having any data from any source.
Circle one: True False
Which is NOT an example of data you give a computer?
- A voice message you recorded
- A search query you typed
- A thought you never typed or said out loud
Leo says, "My computer knows my birthday because it's smart." What is the better explanation?
- The computer guessed the date
- Someone gave the computer that data at some point
- All computers are born knowing dates

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

True · All of those are types of data a computer can store and use.
A photo you took · A photo is stored information, so it is data. Feelings and dreams are not given to the computer, so it cannot know them.
Data · The words in your message are data, whether or not a photo is attached.
It cannot tell you, because it has no data about dogs · A computer uses data it receives or works out from other data. With no information about dogs as data, it has nothing to go on.
3 · The photo, the message, and the search words are each their own piece of data, so that is 3.
False · Computers use data they receive or work out from other data. They cannot know things without data.
A thought you never typed or said out loud · A thought only becomes data once you type it, say it, or save it somehow. An untold thought never reaches the computer.
Someone gave the computer that data at some point · The computer only has the birthday because it was entered as data, not because it figured it out alone.