Notes 5.6 Misleading Graphs

Sometimes graphs are misleading.You need to be able to recognize distortions in graphs so that you can interpret them correctly. In a bar graph, make sure you check the scale as well as the length of the bars.In a line graph, when the vertical axisof the graph is broken, the scale dis-torts the data.

The two top graphs are misleading. The bottom two are not. The top two graphs make it appear that the amount of imported cut flowers has greatly exceeded the amount of cut flowers in the United States. The broken vertical scales in in the top two graphs exaggerate the changes from one year to the next.

url of the day

• Misleading_Graphs.xls

homework answers

4) It appears that about four times as many people bicycled than played volleyball.

5) A little more than twice as many people bicycled than played volleyball; the graph is misleading because the broken scale distorts the data.

7) It appears that about 2½ times as many people in the West prefer Winter Olympics, that the people in the Central and Northeast US greatly prefer the Winter Olympics, and the people in the South prefer the Summer Olympics; the broken scale distorts the data, so the preference seem larger.

9) The amount spent increased from 1990 to 1996.

10) 20 billion dollars11) 3 1/3 billion dollars12) The second graph; the broken

scale distorts the data, so the average increase seems greater.

14) A 15) D 16) C

SR1) Dining room, family/living room, kitchen,

bedroom2) 5 1/3 lb.; 2/3 lb. 3) D 4) B 5) A6) C 7) d=-3+2c

8) 8, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 121 12, 13, 13, 14, 14; about 11.5; 11; 11

9) 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 7; about 3.6; 4; 4

c 1 2 3 4 5

d -1 1 3 5 7

CAM2) 46; The difference would be less

because the number of men would be distributed to different age intervals.

3) 1985: 5.5 h; 1995: 6.39 h4) The popularity of drama series

decreased from 1985 to 1995, with the decrease of average viewing time from 7.49 hours/week to 5.88 hours/week.