Question

What are some different ways of graphically representing distributions of data? When should each be used?

Answer 1

A graphical representation is the visual presentation of the data using plots and charts. It is widely used in mathematics, medicine, and the sciences. The common methods of graphically representing the data include:

Bar diagrams which involving displaying the data on a frequency distribution graph where the categories for comparison are represented as rectangles Of equal width and height which is proportional to the frequency or percentage of the category. For instance, bar diagrams can help to draw comparisons between different socioeconomic groups, age groups, or sex in the performance on an IQ test between different.

Line graphs are a way of representation where line segments are used to plot the categories. The different scores or data are displayed as points on the graph which are connected as line segments and they are thus available to show the changes in data over time. For instance, longitudinal studies on the level of socialextroversion from age 6-36 years can be plotted on a line graph. One can read the direction or the incline or decline of the line graph to determine the direction of development in terms of the social milestone.

Histograms are bar graphs with no interval between the two bars or categories and they represent data as a continuous variable rather than discrete categories. They are used to compare the changes in IQ scores across generations over decades.

Pie diagrams are used to show differences in frequencies between categories on a nominal and ordinal scale. The categories are shown as segments of a circle and the different pieces add up to 100%of the frequency. It is frequently used to show relative frequencies in qualitative studies. For instance, a pie chart may be plotted to show the Exact proportion of the influence of factors such as family, school, peers, media in determining an adolescent’s behaviour of drug use.