In the article "How to Display Data Badly" in the May 1984 issue of The American Statistician, Howard Wainer presents a stacked bar chart of the number of public and private elementary schools (1929 - 1970). This bar chart is given in Figure 2.36. Wainer also gives a line graph of the number of private elementary schools (1930-1970). This graph is shown in Figure 2.37.

a.  Looking at the bar chart of Figure 2.36. does there appear to be an increasing trend in the number of private elementary schools from 1930 to 1970? 

b. Looking at the line graph of Figure 2.37. does there appear to be an increasing trend in the number of private elementary schools from 1930 to 19701

c. Which portrayal of the data do you think is more appropriate? Explain why.

d. d Is either portrayal of the dam entirely appropriate? Explain.

Transcribed Image Text:

(a) The administration's plot: compressed horizontal axis (b) The union organizer's plot: stretched horizontal axis 7.0 5.0 E 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 a 1.0 04 05 06 07 04 05 06 07 Year Year FIGURE 2.36 Wainer's Stacked Bar Chart (for Exercise 2.65) FIGURE 2.37 Wainer's Line Graph (for Exercise 2.65) 15 al Public Private 14 400 300 200 100 13 12 1930 9,275 1940 10,000 1950 10,375 1960 13,574 1970 14,372 10 School year 930 1940 1950 1960 1970