Advantages and disadvantages of types of graphs

Data can be presented using numerous types of graphs Data can be presented using numerous types of graphs. Name as many graphs as you can

Data can be presented using numerous types of graphs Data can be presented using numerous types of graphs. Name as many graphs as you can Decide what type of graph you need to use by thinking about what it is you are trying to show (comparison, change over time, part of whole, proportion…) Different types of graphs show different information and different types of data better.

BAR GRAPHS Best for comparing data across categories Can see data values Double bar graph can be used to compare two sets of data (or more really) Visually strong graphs Limitations: can be distorted to manipulate data

CIRCLE GRAPHS Best for comparing categories to the whole using percent Each section shows the percent total for each category Easy to draw conclusions about ‘most and least’ Visually appealing Limitations: No exact numerical data (don’t know how many or how much in total or each category), hard to compare two sets of data, “other” category can be a problem, can be difficult to draw

LINE GRAPHS Best for showing changes in data over time Can quickly analyze data and spot trends. Can somewhat see exact data Can often make predictions Can compare sets of data Limitations: Not super visually appealing,

Pictograph Uses a symbol to represent a quantity of data Best for comparing data that can be easily counted and represented using symbols Easy to read and visually appealing Can display lots of data Limitations: very simplistic, hard to know exact count because of partial symbols

Scatter plot Used to show relationship between two categories (i.e. time spent studying vs. test score, age vs height) Used to see if two things are related Can see all the data entries Can see trends (dots close together) and outliers (dots all on their own) Limitations: hard to visualize results if too much data, sometimes get no relationship shown

histogram A type of bar graph that groups numbers in ranges for Visually strong, easy to see trends Good to use when range of data is big (very small to very large answers i.e. height of trees in a forest) Limitations: cannot read exact data because it is grouped into categories, hard to compare sets of data

Task: Page 299, #s 3-11 and the reflect question at the bottom of the last page

Task: How tall are the students in your class? Is everyone nearly the same height or are heights spread out What is the most common height for boys and girls? …… In your group, measure the heights of each person to the nearest cm. Record results on the board – include height and gender of each student Decide on an interval and organize the data into groups. Display your data using a graph of your choice and write an explanation saying what information your group was trying to show and why you selected the type of graph you did. INTERVAL TALLY FREQUENCY