Survey 20 friends: 'Cat, dog, fish, bird, hamster, none?'. Tally the answers. Plot as a pictograph — one icon per vote.
Edit the data — the chart follows
Dog: 40%Cat: 30%Fish: 10%Bird: 5%Hamster: 5%None: 10%
Run the survey
- Ask 20 people the same fixed question with the same answer choices.
- Tally each vote into one slice.
- Plot as a pie chart or a pictograph (one icon per vote).
- Note the noise — with 20 people the order can wobble.
Your turn
If 8 of 20 people pick dog, what fraction of the circle is the dog slice?
Survey a different group — older relatives, a sports team, another class. Same question, different answers: that is why pollsters care so much about who they ask.
What to notice
Bigger samples give smoother results. With 20 people you'll see noise; with 200 the picture stabilises. This is sampling, in miniature.
Survey a different group (older relatives, classmates, sports team). Compare. Same question, different answers — context matters.