Diagrammatic Presentation of Data

Diagrammatic presentation is the third way of showing data, and it gives the quickest understanding of a situation compared with textual or tabular forms. It turns the abstract ideas hidden in numbers into a concrete, easily grasped picture.

Diagrams may be less accurate than tables, but they are far more effective at conveying an overall impression and at inviting comparison. The important kinds in common use are:

• Geometric diagrams — bar diagrams and pie diagrams.
• Frequency diagrams — histogram, frequency polygon, frequency curve and ogive. …