Trend - GCSE Maths Definition

In GCSE Mathematics, the trend in a set of data points refers to the general direction in which they are heading over time. Broadly speaking, we would be considering an upward trend, a downward trend, or the data could be 'steady'. We would look for the trend in data to see if there is any long term pattern - in real-world scenarios there are often 'spikes' or 'troughs' in data that are caused by one-off events; for example, whilst the general trend in the volume of clothes sold by a shop during a particular year, there may have been a 'trough' one month due to a spell of unusually poor weather. The trend would still be upward for the year, despite some ups-and-downs during it!