Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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FIGURE 8.5
Total Number of Goals Scored by Teams 1 through 5.
The
x
axis indicates the team number, and the
y
axis indicates the number of goals scored
by the respective team.
Problem:
This graph correctly scales the
y
axis, but still uses
a categorical variable denoting the team on the
x
axis. Labels 0 and 6 do not cor-
respond to a team number and the presentation appears as if the
x
axis is a contin-
uous range of values when in fact it is merely a collection of labels. While a
reasonable approach to communicating the desired information, we can still
improve on this presentation by changing the numeric labels on the
x
axis to
String labels corresponding to the actual team names.
Figure 8.7 is the best illustration of the soccer data. There are no false
dimensions, the range of the graphic is close to the range of the data,
there is no difficulty interpreting the values indicated by the plotting
symbols, and the legend fully explains the material. Alternatively, we can
produce a simple table.
Table 8.1 succinctly presents the relevant information. Tables and
figures have the advantage over in-text descriptions that the information is
more easily found while scanning through the containing document. If the
information is summary in nature, we should make that information easy
to find for the reader and place it in a figure or table. If the information is
ancillary to the discussion, it can be left in text.
Choosing Between Tabular and Graphical Presentations
In choosing between tabular and graphical presentations, there are two
issues to consider: the size (density) of the resulting graphic and the scale
