4. Choosing a Data Display
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Recall the types of data displays that you know.
Example Solution: A scatter plot, see solution.
Let's recall the types of data displays we can use to describe a data set.
Data Display | When Do We Use It? | Key Phrase |
---|---|---|
Pictograph | To show data using pictures | Pictures |
Dot Plot | To show the number of times each value occurs in a data set | Times each value occurs |
Stem-and-Leaf Plot | To show how ordered numerical data are distributed | Distribution of ordered values |
Box-and-Whisker Plot | To show the variability of a data set by using quartiles | Variability |
Circle Graph | To show data as parts of a whole | Parts of a whole |
Bar Graph | To show frequencies of data values in specific categories | Category frequency |
Histogram | To show frequencies of data values in intervals of the same size | Frequency and intervals |
Line Graph | To show how data change over time | Change over time |
Scatter Plot | To show the relationship between two data sets using ordered pairs plotted in a coordinate plane | Relationship of two data sets, coordinate plane |
Now, we want to choose an appropriate data display for the following situation.
A comparison of the amount of time spent using a tablet computer and the remaining battery life |
Here we have 2 separate data sets — amount of time and remaining battery life — and we want to find the relationship between them. Check the table to see what matches. It is a scatter plot. The scatter plot for this situation could look something like the following.