Advantages of Tables
- can show exact percentages and frequencies
- allow for further calculations
- efficient as can show lots of data in a small area
Disadvantages of Tables
- difficult to visualise patterns in the data
- large tables difficult to interpret
- useful for reference rather than data display
Advantages of Bar charts
- can easily compare proportions in different categories
- useful with large numbers of categories
- approximate figures can be read off the axis
Disadvantages of Bar charts
- can be difficult to gain an exact figure
- difficult to read when many categories are involved
- difficult to compare segments of a similar size
- 3D versions distort proportions
4 Types of bar charts
- single
- clustered
- stacked
- stacked (%)
clustered bar chart advantage
good for comparing distribution of groups/categories over time/space
disadvantage of a stacked bar chart
more difficult to interpret because lack of common baseline
-more difficult to interpret with larger number of categories
pie charts advantages
- easily compare proportions if only a few categories
- visually simple compared to interpreting other graphs
disadvantages of pie charts
- impossible to read off figures accurately
- difficult to read when many categories involved
- difficult to compare segments of a similar size
- 3D versions distort proportions
Line graph advantages
- show data over time
- can read off specific figures
- visibly shows data trends
- can make predictions of data that have not yet been recorded
disadvantages of line graphs
- can get complicated to interpret if lots of data (only use a small data set)
- can become confusing when lines overlap
advantages of not using a true 0
-if your lowest figure doesn’t start at 0, it can be more efficient to start the graph from your lowest recorded figure so you can observe small data trends
disadvantages of not using a true 0
can make data misleading to interpret=more likely to get the wrong answer
