Choosing and reading graphs

A circle graph divides 360° in proportion to the parts; a line graph is the one that shows a trend over time.

A worked example

A category holding 20% of a circle graph takes up 0.20 x 360 = 72° of the circle.

The mistake people actually make

A vertical axis that does not start at zero makes small differences look dramatic. Histogram bars touch because the data is continuous; bar graph bars do not.

Practice this free