Analyzing One-Variable Data 1 Analyzing One-Variable Data Lesson 1.2 Displaying Categorical Data

Displaying Categorical Data Make and interpret bar charts of categorical data. Interpret pie charts. Identify what makes some graphs of categorical data deceptive.

Displaying Categorical Data A frequency table or relative frequency table summarizes a variable’s distribution in numerical form. To display the distribution more clearly, use a graph. Bar Chart A bar chart shows each category as a bar. The heights of the bars show the category frequencies or relative frequencies. Pie Chart A pie chart shows each category as a slice of “pie.” The areas of the slices are proportional to the category frequencies or relative frequencies.

Displaying Categorical Data How to Make a Bar Chart Draw and label the axes. Put the name of the categorical variable under the horizontal axis. To the left of the vertical axis, indicate if the graph shows the frequency (count) or relative frequency (percent or proportion) of individuals in each category. “Scale” the axes. Write the names of the categories at equally spaced intervals under the horizontal axis. On the vertical axis, start at 0 and place tick marks at equal intervals until you exceed the largest frequency or relative frequency in any category. Draw bars above the category names. Make the bars equal in width and leave gaps between them. Be sure that the height of each bar corresponds to the frequency or relative frequency of individuals in that category.

Displaying Categorical Data Level of Education Percent Less than high school 13.2 High school graduate 22.6 Some college 28.7 Bachelor’s degree 24.9 Advanced degree 10.6

Displaying Categorical Data You can use a pie chart when you want to emphasize each category’s relation to the whole. Level of Education Percent Less than high school 13.2 High school graduate 22.6 Some college 28.7 Bachelor’s degree 24.9 Advanced degree 10.6

Displaying Categorical Data Bar charts and pie charts can display a distribution of categorical data. A bar chart can also be used to compare the distribution of a categorical variable in two or more groups. It’s a good idea to use relative frequencies (percents or proportions) when comparing, especially if the groups have different sizes.

Displaying Categorical Data Bar charts are a bit dull to look at. It is tempting to replace the bars with pictures or to use special 3-D effects to make the graphs seem more interesting. Don’t do it! Our eyes react to the area of the bars as well as to their height. When all bars have the same width, the area varies in proportion to the height, and our eyes receive the right impression about the quantities being compared. Preferred Party Frequency Donut 5 Pasta 18 Pizza 7 Total 30

Which cell phone speaks to you? LESSON APP 1.2 Which cell phone speaks to you? The Pew Research Center asked a random sample of 2024 adult cell-phone owners from the United States which type of cell phone they own: iPhone, Android, or other (including non-smartphones). The frequency table displays the results. The side-by-side bar chart displays the distribution of phone ownership for each of three age groups. Make a bar chart to display the distribution of phone ownership among all 2024 people in the sample. Describe what you see. Write a few sentences comparing the distributions of phone ownership for the three age groups.

Displaying Categorical Data Make and interpret bar charts of categorical data. Interpret pie charts. Identify what makes some graphs of categorical data deceptive.