5 Information Visualization
5.two Bar nautical chart

Text begins

A bar chart may be either horizontal or vertical. The of import point to annotation about bar charts is their bar length or summit—the greater their length or superlative, the greater their value. Bar charts are one of the many techniques used to present data in a visual form and so that the reader may readily recognize patterns or trends.

Bar charts usually nowadays categorical variables, discrete variables or continuous variables grouped in form intervals. They consist of an centrality and a serial of labelled horizontal or vertical confined. The bars depict frequencies of different values of a variable or only the different values themselves. The numbers on the y-axis of a vertical bar chart or the x-axis of a horizontal bar chart are called the scale.

When developing bar charts manually, draw a vertical or horizontal bar for each category or value. The height or length of the bar will correspond the number of units or observations in that category (frequency) or just the value of the variable. Select an capricious but consistent width for each bar as well. Even though it is very mutual today that some software, such as a spreadsheet software or R software, is used to produce charts, it's still quite useful to know how to create charts by mitt.

Vertical bar charts

Bar charts should be used when yous are showing segments of information. Vertical bar charts are useful to compare different chiselled or discrete variables, such every bit age groups, classes, schools, etc., as long as there are not too many categories to compare. They are also very useful for time series data. The infinite for labels on the ten-axis is small, but ideal for years, minutes, hours or months. For case, Chart 5.two.1 beneath shows the number of constabulary officers in Crimeville for each year from 2011 to 2019.

Chart 5.2.1 Number of police officers in Crimeville, 2011 to 2019

Data table for Chart 5.two.one 
Information tabular array for chart 5.2.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for nautical chart v.2.1. The data is grouped past Year (actualization as row headers), Number of law officers (actualization as column headers).
Year Number of constabulary officers
2011 55
2012 52
2013 48
2014 43
2015 45
2016 49
2017 52
2018 55
2019 58

In Chart 5.2.1, you tin see that the number of police officers decreased from 2011 to 2014, but started increasing again in 2015. The chart as well makes it easy to compare the number of police officers for any combination of years.

Vertical bar charts are an excellent choice to emphasize a alter in magnitude. The all-time data for a vertical bar chart is data dealing with the description of components, frequency distribution and time-series statistics.

Grouped bar charts

The grouped bar chart is another effective means of comparing sets of data nigh the same places or items. It gives two or more pieces of information for each item on the 10-centrality instead of simply ane as in Chart five.2.ane. This allows you to make straight comparisons on the same chart by historic period group, gender or anything else y'all wish to compare. However, if a grouped bar nautical chart has also many serial of data, the chart becomes cluttered and it can be disruptive to read.

Nautical chart 5.2.two, a grouped vertical bar chart, compares two series of data: the numbers of boys and girls that accept a smartphone at Redwood Secondary School from 2012 to 2019. The orange bar represents the number of boys, and the yellow bar represents the number of girls.

Chart 5.2.2 Students who own a smartphone at Redwood Secondary School, by gender 2012 to 2019

Data table for Chart 5.two.2 
Information tabular array for chart v.2.two
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data tabular array for nautical chart v.two.2. The data is grouped by Year (appearing as row headers), Number of boys and Number of girls (appearing as cavalcade headers).
Year Number of boys Number of girls
2012 110 85
2013 185 175
2014 240 225
2015 285 295
2016 305 280
2017 310 315
2018 315 305
2019 315 320

Horizontal bar charts

I disadvantage of vertical bar charts, however, is that they lack space for text labelling at the foot of each bar. When category labels in the chart are too long, you lot might find a horizontal bar chart meliorate for displaying information, like the case in Chart 5.2.iii.

Chart 5.2.3 Sports practiced by 15-year-old students in Jamie's school, by gender

Data tabular array for Nautical chart 5.two.iii 
Data table for chart 5.2.3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for nautical chart 5.2.3. The data is grouped past Sport (actualization as row headers), Per centum of boys (%) and Percentage of girls (%) (appearing as column headers).
Sport Percent of boys (%) Percent of girls (%)
Athletics 17 17
Baseball 24 17
Basketball twoscore 25
Football game 40 2
Soccer 20 17
Swimming 9 12
Tennis 8 viii
Volleyball 10 23
Wrestling 10 5

Stacked bar charts

At that place are several other types of bar nautical chart that you may encounter. The population pyramid is a special application of a grouped bar chart. Another useful blazon of bar chart is the stacked bar nautical chart.

The stacked bar chart is a preliminary data analysis tool used to testify segments of totals. The stacked bar chart can exist very difficult to analyze if also many items are in each stack. It tin can contrast values, but not necessarily in the simplest manner.

In Chart 5.2.4, it is piece of cake to analyze the data presented since there are merely three items in each stack: swimming, running and biking. It is like shooting fish in a barrel to see at a glance what percentage of fourth dimension each woman spent on an result. Had this been a chart representing a decathlon (with 10 events) the data would have been significantly harder to clarify.

Chart 5.2.4 Campbell High Triathlon, percentage of time spent on each event, by competitor

Information table for Chart 5.two.four 
Data table for nautical chart 5.ii.4
Table summary
This tabular array displays the results of Information table for nautical chart 5.2.4. The information is grouped by Outset name (appearing as row headers), Percentage of time spent swimming (%), Percentage of fourth dimension spent cycling (%) and Percentage of time spent running (%) (actualization every bit column headers).
First name Per centum of time spent swimming (%) Percentage of fourth dimension spent cycling (%) Percentage of fourth dimension spent running (%)
Averi 13 50 37
Bronwyn 32 53 15
Hillary 21 28 51
Jessa 41 14 45
Megan 9 81 x
Mercedes 28 47 25
Rosalyn 32 40 28
Tiiu 38 24 38

Advices to build bar charts

You lot should keep the post-obit guidelines in listen when creating bar charts:

  • Make bars and columns wider than the space betwixt them.
  • Use a single font type on a chart. Endeavor to maintain a consistent font style from chart to chart in a single presentation or document.
  • Club your shade blueprint from darkest to lightest.
  • Avoid using a combination of red and light-green in the aforementioned display.

Written report a problem on this page

Is something non working? Is in that location information outdated? Tin can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let u.s. know how we tin assist you.

Privacy detect

Appointment modified: