7. Box and Whisker Graph:
A graphic way to display the median, quartiles, and extremes of a data set on a number line to
show the distribution of the data.
8. Pie Graph:
A special chart that uses "pie slices"
to show relative sizes of data. The
chart is divided into sectors, where
each sector shows the relative size
of each value. The total equals 100%.
Basic Graphical Elements:
1. Axis labels: You plot the independent variable (the one which you control, the inputs) on the horizontal axis
(x-axis) and the dependent variable (the one you are measuring, the outputs) on the vertical axis (y-axis).
Include a short descriptive label that represents each axis. ex. length of tails (cm)
2. Units: Write the units in parenthesis after the axis label—often this is an abbreviation. ex. (cm)
3. Intervals/Scaling: Choose uniform intervals that make it easy to read so the data occupy most of the graph.
You can include a break in the axis if there is a large gap between zero and the data points. Be careful not to
exaggerate the variations in the data if you do this. Many students have difficulty here!
4. Data: Plot the data points on the graph. You do not normally connect the dots. You may connect the dots
but make sure the line starts and stops on a dot! Decide whether the origin (0,0) is a valid data point. If the
data points show a correlation you may add a trend line (line of best fit) or a smooth curve that represents the
overall pattern. If it’s linear, this typically can be added by using a ruler and “eyeballing” it. A trend line is a nice
way to illustrate the basic relationship between the two variables. You may need to find the equation of the
trend line. NOTE: The “rate” of some reactions or process is the slope of the line!
5. Title: Choose a title for the graph that uniquely identifies it. The title should not just repeat the labels but
add information specific to what the data represents. The title informs the reader about the experiment and
tells the reader exactly what is being measured.