Graphs are capable of conveying a good deal of information in an efficient, effective manner. Graphs are powerful weapons in the arsenal of data storytellers.
In class, we created line graphs to tell a story about climate change. Specifically, we graphed average temperatures in New Jersey over the last century. In the previous class, we created bar charts to tell a story about the vast differences in the resources of baseball teams.
Your homework is to find a dataset on the internet, and create a line chart or bar chart based on that data.
As you complete the assignment, keep in mind the following:
In class, we created line graphs to tell a story about climate change. Specifically, we graphed average temperatures in New Jersey over the last century. In the previous class, we created bar charts to tell a story about the vast differences in the resources of baseball teams.
Your homework is to find a dataset on the internet, and create a line chart or bar chart based on that data.
As you complete the assignment, keep in mind the following:
- First, find some data and paste or import it into Excel. Remember that for our purposes, a dataset is a rectangular matrix with cases in the rows and variables in the columns. Your dataset should contain at least 25 cases.
- Once the data are in Excel, press CTRL-T to create a table.
- Click "summarize with PivotTable."
- Set up the PivotTable.
- Make the chart - either line or bar chart.
- Use the group/un-group feature if necessary to simplify the data (as you did with the temperature data).
- Make sure the chart is properly labeled. There should be a descriptive title. Label the axes as well.
- Having trouble coming up with data? Here are some examples. One student found data on average (inflation-adjusted) teacher salaries in the US over several decades. She made a chart displaying change over time in average teacher salaries. Another student made a line chart displaying population change over time.
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