Question

Explain the differences between graphical presentations: a pie chart, bar chart, histogram, and line chart.

Answer 1

The differences are:

• The line chart is the most simplest of all the other graphical presentations. In this the data is presented in the form of straight lines. Each line represent a set or class of data with height denoting the magnitude of the set or class. The distance between each line is kept uniform.
• In a bar chart grouped data is presented as rectangular bars. Height of each bar denotes the magnitude of the class or set of data. The width of each bar and space between each data is kept uniform and constant.
• In a histogram frequency distribution is shown. The height of each column of histogram corresponds to the magnitude of the frequency. In a histogram there is no space between the columns.
• A pie chart presents a circular presentation of statistics or a numerical value. The segments or slices of a pie represent a portion of the whole. The width of each slice corresponds to the magnitude of a class or set of data.

In this manner the way data or a numerical value is represented graphically differs in each, as in line chart it is present as straight lines with uniform spacing between each lines, in bar graph it is presented as bar or columns with uniform space between each column, in a histogram it is presented in similar manner as bar chart but without space between the bars or columns, and in a pie chart it is presented in a circular manner, where each pie or segment represent a set of value of the whole.