Module 5 Checkpoint: Reading Charts and Distributions
Scenario
A bar chart shows three teams at 412, 401 and 388 completions. The vertical axis starts at 380.
Questions
- What is the real difference between the highest and lowest bars, as a percentage?
- How much taller does the first bar look than the third, and why?
- What would the chart look like with the axis starting at zero?
- When is a non-zero axis a legitimate choice rather than a distortion?
- Name one thing this chart cannot tell you about the three teams.
Pass Standard
You pass when you can state the real difference as a percentage and explain why bar length must be read from zero.