Practice question · Sort into groups
Sort each feature by whether it describes a histogram or a bar chart.
Groups: Histogram · Bar chart
- The horizontal axis is a number line
- Shows the distribution of one numerical variable
- Compares one value across unordered groups
- The horizontal axis carries distinct category labels
- Bars touch one another
- Bars are separated by gaps
Hints
- Ask what sits on the horizontal axis in each case: numbers or names?
- The gap between bars is not decoration; it encodes whether the categories are adjacent.
Show the answer
Histogram: Bars touch one another, The horizontal axis is a number line, Shows the distribution of one numerical variable
Bar chart: Bars are separated by gaps, The horizontal axis carries distinct category labels, Compares one value across unordered groups
Why
A histogram bins a continuous variable, so its bins are adjacent intervals and the bars touch. A bar chart compares separate categories with no space between them on any number line, so the bars are drawn apart. The visual difference records a real difference in the data.
Practise Data Visualisation
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More questions on Data Visualisation
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