Bar graphs are used to compare different groups of information. They are made by creating an x-axis and y-axis and then creating bars representing the corresponding data.
Some good ideas for bar graphs:
Some good ideas for bar graphs:
- graphing students' grades on a certain quiz
- graphing the favorite type of movie in a group of people
- graphing the most popular ice cream chosen at an ice cream shop
Single v. Double Bar Graphs
Another type of bar graph is the double bar graph. A double bar graph should be used when showing two sets of data within one graph. For example:
In the double bar graph above, the groups (1-5) recorded their data based upon the number of M&Ms they predicted to be in an individual snack sized bag of M&Ms compared the actual number of M&Ms they found to be in the bag. If the groups would have only been graphing their predictions, it would have been represented in a single bar graph. However, since they incorporated two sets of data (predictions and actual), it required a double bar graph.
Check out this website to find more information about bar graphs and the parts of bar graphs: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/bar.asp