Data Representation

5 minQuiz at the end

Choosing the Right Chart

Chart typeBest for
Bar chartComparing discrete categories
Pie chartShowing proportions of a whole
HistogramGrouped continuous data
Frequency polygonComparing distributions
Stem-and-leafDisplaying all values, showing distribution
Line graphData over time

Bar Charts

Each bar's height = frequency. Bars are separated (for discrete/categorical data).

Pie Charts

Each sector's angle = (frequency / total) Γ— 360Β°

Histograms

Used for grouped continuous data. The key difference from bar charts:

  • No gaps between bars (data is continuous)
  • Bar height = frequency density = Frequency Γ· Class width
  • Area of each bar represents frequency

Frequency Polygons

Connect the midpoints of histogram bars with straight lines. Good for comparing two distributions on the same axes.

Stem-and-Leaf Diagrams

Display actual data values while showing the shape of the distribution:

3 | 2 5 7
4 | 1 3 6 9
5 | 0 2
Key: 3|2 means 32

Back-to-back stem-and-leaf diagrams compare two data sets.