Concept 2 of 3
Pictographs: Pictures Telling Stories
Today's big idea
A pictograph row is worth its picture count multiplied by the key, never the count alone.
Reading the key first is what stops a short row looking smaller than it really is.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
The fruit stall keeps a chart on the wall, and Monday has just four apple pictures on it. It is easy to read that as four apples, which would be a terrible Monday. Each little picture is standing in for five real apples.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the chart above. The key sets one apple picture at 5 apples, so Monday's four pictures are really 20. A pictograph shrinks a big count into a short row, and the key is the only place that shrinking is explained.
🪄 How to do it
- 1.Read the key on the chart above and note what one picture is worth.
- 2.Count the pictures sitting in the row you need.
- 3.Multiply the count by the key value to get the row's total.
✍️ Try it
A library chart uses a key of one book picture for 10 books. Wednesday shows 6 whole book pictures. How many books is that? Thursday shows 4 whole pictures and one half picture. How many books did Thursday get?
Wednesday is 6 × 10 = 60 books. Thursday's 4 whole pictures give 4 × 10 = 40. Half a picture is half the key, which is 5, so Thursday lands on 40 + 5 = 45 books.
⚠️ Watch out
You might be thinking the row with more pictures wins by that many. Wednesday shows 6 pictures and Thursday shows 4 and a half, which looks like a gap of 1 and a half. But that is not the gap. The real gap is 60 − 45 = 15 books. Every picture you count still has to be multiplied by the key.
🌟 Why this matters
Sticker charts, class surveys and weather charts all squash big counts into small pictures. One look tells you which day was busiest without reading a single number. Knowing the key is what stops a short row fooling you into thinking it is small.
Exam tip: When a key is given, the answer almost always needs a multiplication rather than a count.
Watch me solve one
Quanta solves it
“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”
THE PROBLEM
“Pictograph: 🍪 = 6 cookies. The 'Tuesday' row has 4 cookie symbols. How many cookies on Tuesday?”
- 1
Read the KEY
1 symbol stands for 6 cookies. 🖼️
- 2
Count the symbols
Tuesday has 4 cookie symbols.
- 3
Multiply
4 × 6 = 24
- 4
Answer ✓
Tuesday = 24 cookies
Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
Each 🍎 means 5 apples. Tap each one to count up.
PICTOGRAPH · ROUND 1 OF 3
Key: 1 🍎 = 5
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
A pictograph row shows 5 identical pictures and stands for 35 cakes altogether. What is one picture worth?
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!
Up next: Bar Graphs
Bar height is the count, once you read the scale.