Data Display Gallery

Pre-Algebra · Axiom Academy

One concept, four pictures: the shape of your data tells you which graph to reach for. 1. Bar Graph — Comparing Categories When your data splits into separate groups that have no natural order, a bar graph lines them up side by side so you can compare heights at a glance. The bars stand apart — the gaps say "these are different things," not points on a scale. You're comparing distinct categories or groups that don't fall in any natural order. 2. Histogram — Continuous Data in Ranges A histogram looks like a bar graph, but it answers a different question: how is numerical data spread out? You chop a number line into equal intervals and count how many values land in each. Because the intervals are pieces of one continuous scale, the bars touch . You have numerical data — test scores, heights, temperatures — that you can group into ranges. 3. Line Graph — Change Over Time When the order matters — especially time — a line graph connects the points so you can see the trend . The line going up means increasing, down means decreasing, and the slope tells you how fast. You're showing how one quantity changes over time, or across any ordered sequence. 4. Circle Graph — Parts of a Whole A circle graph (or pie chart) shows how the pieces of one whole divide up. The whole circle is 100%, and each slice's size is its share. It shines when the story is "what fraction is each part?" rather than "which is biggest?"

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full Pre-Algebra course.