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Representing Data
Remember to give a title for your graph, chart or map if you are asked to plot.
Graphs
· Show the relationship in data.
· The horizontal axis is called x-axis which is used for independent variable e.g. time and the vertical axis is the y-axis used for dependent variable which is a variable that changes e.g. temperature.
1. Line graphs
· Simple line graphs contain one independent variable and one dependent variable to show the change of something over time.
Decide on your independent (x-axis) and dependent variable (y- axis)
Plot the value of both variables on the graph paper.
Deduce the relationship between the two variables i.e. as air temperature increases, the air can hold higher amounts of water vapour.
· Comparative line graphs show two or more dependent variables by combining two or more simple line graphs which allow us to compare two or more data sets e.g. temperatures of Singapore and Thailand throughout the year.
Words to describe trend – remain constant, increase, decrease, fluctuate, slight , sharp, steep, gradual, at a faster/slower rate
2. Bar graphs
1. Decide on your independent (x-axis) and dependent variable (y- axis).
2. Plot the value of both variables on the graph paper.
3. Compare the values among the different independent variables. i.e Indonesia has highest fatalities related to tectonic activities among the other 3 countries.
· Comparative bar graphs
Allows comparison of two or more sets of data
3. Bipolar Graphs
A sample bipolar graph looks like that below. It allows you to very compare two sets of data easily. Opposite adjectives are chosen and written down - some should be fact based, for examples ‘historical' and ‘modern'. Others should be value based, for example ‘ugly' and ‘attractive'. Different users can be asked to place a cross on a line between the pairs of adjectives, or assign a score for a particular variable
Example
5. Pie charts show the parts that make up a whole. It is a circular graph which is divided into segments that add up to 100% e.g. it can be used to show the percentage of the factors contributing to the rise in the sea level shown below.
Land use data can also be represented using a pie chart. The percentage of land use can be represented by the size of the sector e.g. 50% will be half the circle, 20% will be equivalent to a sector drawn with an angle of 72° (20/100 X 360).
6. Landuse data can also be represented on a landuse map
7. Scattergraphs are used to investigate the relationship between two variables. The pattern of the scatter describes the relationship as shown in the examples below.
Best fit or trend lines should be:
Follow the trend of the data
With almost equal number of points on both side of the best fit line
DO NOT JOIN THE POINTS
· Plot data using ‘X’s.
· Draw a straight line of best fit. This will broadly represent the general pattern formed by the two points.
· Take note of any anomalies (points which deviate from the main trend)
7. Proportional circles on a map
The relative number of tourist can be shown by the size of the circle. The origin of the tourist can be marked by the location of the proportional circle at the country of origin.
8. Flow Line Maps are used for portraying movements or flows, such as the flow tourists as shown below.
The relative number of tourist can be shown by the width of the line using a scale for desired lines. The origin of the tourist can be marked by the start of the line with an arrow head pointing to the destination.
You can also show data using a Choropleth Map.
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