Distinguish a Number from a Code

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil; answers may also be spoken or typed.
• All cases, labels, numbers and rules are supplied on this page. No real account, private information or purchase is needed.

Learn the idea

Data can use numbers to count or measure, and digits can also be labels. A classroom item code 007 identifies an item; adding item codes does not produce a meaningful total. In this model Count is a quantity and Code is a label. The column meaning controls what operations make sense.

Use the field’s stated meaning before deciding whether arithmetic is meaningful. Digits in a code do not make it a quantity.

Use this supplied case: Count=4 objects. Classify the stated field. Use the details in this example. An adult may read the words aloud. Point, draw or say your answer.

1. Follow the worked example one step at a time. Say or draw what happens.
2. Use the field’s stated meaning before deciding whether arithmetic is meaningful.
3. Say which detail makes the example answer fit. Pick another answer and say why it does not fit.
4. Try the question and practice questions. Read the rule again if your answer does not match the explanation.

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Take it further

Classroom code 009 and count 9 look related. Expected: preserve code 009 as a label; only count 9 is a quantity suitable for this stated arithmetic.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.