Overview

Teaching: 10 min
Exercises: 5 min

Questions

• How do I choose a good chart to visualize my data?

Objectives

• To match scientific question with a good chart

Introduce Choosing a Good Chart.

Break down chart decision for: “How was the population of Africa distributed across the continent by country in 2007?”

Good Chart Challenge

Match the scientific questions with the corresponding graphic on Choosing a Good Chart.

• A. Distribution: How was the population of Africa distributed across the continent by country in 2007?
• B. Relationship: What is the relationship of GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population across the world per country in 2007?
• C. Comparison: How was the world population distributed among continents in 2007?
• D. Composition: How has the composition of the world population among continents changed from 1952-2007?

Answer

• A. - C. Line Histogram
• B. - F. Bubble Chart
• C. - A. Table with Embedded Charts
• D. - E. Stacked Area Chart

Key Points

• A good chart directly and clearly addresses a scientific question.

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