What Data Analysis Actually Is
Four steps that turn a file of rows into an answer you can defend.
The shape of the work
Every analysis is the same four moves: get the data, clean it, summarise it, and say what it means. Most of the time goes on the second one, and most of the mistakes hide there too.
rows = [
["Ada", 92],
["Grace", 88],
["Alan", 79],
]
print("students:", len(rows))An answer needs a question first
A table on its own says nothing. "Who scored highest?" is a question a table can answer; "is this class doing well?" is not, until you decide what well means. Writing the question down first is what stops you fishing.
scores = [92, 88, 79]
print("highest:", max(scores))
print("lowest:", min(scores))Exercise
Try It YourselfThree students and their scores are in rows. Print how many students there are, then the highest score.
Press Run to see output