Charts to display data Flashcards
tables
simple and effective way to show raw data collected…doesn’t show patterns
diagrams
range of images used e.g. pictograms…difficult to work out
charts
more precise than tables or diagrams and there is a variety of forms…must choose right one or data won’t be well shown
graphs
ideal for continuous data or when looking for patterns
Bar charts (usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use:discrete or time series data e.g. rainfall
Advantage:simple, quick and gives instant visual impression
Disadvantage:width of bar can be misleading over the value represented by the bar
Histograms (usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use:frequencies of data
Advantage:can be used for different categories and width can be different unlike a bar chart
Disadvantage:takes time to calculate and draw
Pie charts (usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use: percentage data to show constituent parts of a whole e.g. ethnicity
Advantage: very visual and easy to cope with errors
Disadvantage: too many sectors can be silly , colours may distract from sector size and can only be used for percentage data
Divided Bar charts (usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use: shows constituents of a whole e.g. employment make up of a population
Advantage: shows compositions of different things
Disadvantage: too many sections can be silly and difficult to compare
Rose or star diagram(usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use: shows direction e.g. wind direction
Advantage: locational information
Disadvantage: time consuming to draw and takes time to read as 3 aspects are shown
Proportional symbols(usage, advantage and disadvantage)
Use: area of the symbol is proportional to cube root of data value
Advantage: copes with large numbers e.g. large towns and gives good visual appearance
Disadvantage: time consuming to calculate and draw, not easy to compare accurately and scale is even more complex to draw and can hide information underneath
