Statistics: The Large Data Set

These vocabulary flashcards cover the key locations, measurements, units, and trends found in the Edexcel A-Level Mathematics Large Data Set based on the lecture transcript.

Weather Stations (UK South)

The three UK weather stations located in the south: Camborne, Hurn, and Heathrow.

Weather Stations (UK North)

The two UK weather stations located in the north: Leeming and Leuchars.

Coastal UK Stations

The UK weather stations located on the coast: Camborne, Hurn, and Leuchars.

International Locations

The three weather stations outside the UK: Jacksonville (US), Beijing (China), and Perth (Australia).

Perth

The only station in the large data set located in the southern hemisphere, meaning its seasons are flipped (winter is during June, July, and August).

Data Timeframe

Weather data recorded for two specific years, $1987$ and $2015$, specifically between the months of May and October.

Daily Mean Temperature

The average of hourly temperature readings taken throughout a day, measured in Celsius ($^\circ\text{C}$) and rounded to $1$ decimal place.

Daily Total Rainfall

The amount of precipitation, including snow and sleet, collected in a measuring cylinder over $24\text{ hours}$, measured in $\text{mm}$ and rounded to $1$ decimal place.

Tr (Trace)

A rainfall measurement indicating an amount less than $0.05\text{ mm}$; for calculations, this can be treated as $0$.

Daily Mean Wind Speed

The average wind speed throughout the day, measured in knots ($\text{kn}$); recorded as integers in the UK and decimals in international locations.

Beaufort Scale

A scale used to categorize wind speed: light ($1\text{ to }10\text{ knots}$), moderate ($11\text{ to }16\text{ knots}$), and fresh ($17\text{ to }21\text{ knots}$).

Daily Max Gust

The maximum wind speed recorded during the day, measured in knots ($\text{kn}$); this measurement is unique to UK locations.

Daily Mean Windspeed Direction

The direction from which the wind is blowing, given as a bearing in degrees ($0\text{ to }360^\circ$) or as a cardinal (compass) point.

Daily Mean Pressure

The average atmospheric pressure recorded throughout the day, measured in hectopascals ($\text{hPa}$) and rounded to the nearest integer.

Total Sunshine

The number of hours of sunshine recorded in a day, rounded to $1$ decimal place; zeros indicate very thick cloud cover or overcast conditions.

Daily Max Relative Humidity

The maximum humidity recorded throughout the day as a percentage; values above $95\%$ can lead to mist or fog.

Daily Mean Total Clouds

A measurement of cloud cover in a unit called oktas, which divides the sky into eight sections; values are integers from $0$ to $8$.

Daily Mean Visibility

The furthest distance an object can be seen on a particular day, measured in decameters ($\text{dm}$) and rounded to the nearest $100\text{ dm}$.

Cleaning the Data

The process of preparing data for calculation by treating trace (Tr) values as $0$ and ignoring unavailable (NA) values.

Global Warming Trend

The observation that daily mean temperatures for every location in the data set increased between $1987$ and $2015$.