Chapter 1: The World of Earth Science Tips on graphing Chapter 1: The World of Earth Science

Why use graphs? Graphs give a visual representation of progress (or regress) and they are much quicker and easier to grasp than a boring stack of numbers To ILLUSTRATE numerical data, thus making it easier to understand It is important to organize the information in such a way that it is easy to interpret Graphs can provide quick and easy visual summaries that allow you to determine patterns of behavior, evaluate the results of new strategies, and establish whether or not interventions are having the desired effects

What type of graph should be used? The most common type of graph used to evaluate behavioral data is the line graph A line graph shows individual data points connected by line, creating a path. Over time, this path can show a visual pattern that helps you evaluate the overall directions of a behavior.

Types of graphs cont’d… A bar graph is often used when portions of a whole are being represented or when reporting a percentage The bar graph focuses on the height of the data rather than the trend in the data, and is most often used when nonconsecutive data points are being evaluated

Another type of graph… A histogram is a type of bar graph of a frequency distribution in which the widths of the bars are proportional to the classes into which the variable has been divided and the heights of the bars are proportional to the class frequencies

More types of graphs… Pie charts may be useful when representing portions of a whole

Essential parts of a graph First you must have a title! Usually this will be stated as your independent variable vs. dependent variable The horizontal axis is called the x-axis, and the vertical axis is referred to as the y-axis The independent variable should be on the y-axis and the dependent variable on the x-axis Each axis must be labeled with a name and its correct units Use the whole piece of graph paper! This shows that the scaling you have used on your graph effectively represents your data. This is important on ANY type of graph you make! You don’t necessarily have to always start at zero when setting up your graph, unless your data begins at zero.

A good graph!

A bad graph 