DISCUSSION: Charts are Everywhere!

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Charts Are Everywhere!

Do you know that we get a significant portion of our daily information as Charts?

Everywhere you look you can find statistics, whether you are browsing the Internet, watching TV, playing sports, or looking through the top scores of your favorite video game. If you need to visualize that information, there is no better way than using a chart or graph. Charts give you a way of literally seeing patterns in your data. They allow you to visualize your data and see what is really going on at a quick glance.

Watch your favorite TV news program, or read the news on the Internet, or look at CCP's Institutional Research web page, or search an area that interests you. Report on one chart that represents data that is less than 2 years old. Be very specific in your explanation and answer the questions below. Number your answers to match the question number.

1. What is the exact title of the chart? Overall, what information does the chart represent?
2. What is the exact title of the x-axis (horizontal axis)? What does the data represent?
3. What is the exact title of the y-axis (vertical axis)? What does the data represent?
4. What does the Legend represent? Be specific regarding colors, range of numbers, dates, categories, etc.
5. When are the dates of the data? When was the chart created? Make sure the data is less than 2 years old.
6. What type of Excel chart is it? For example, pie, bar, column, scatter, etc. Note: a table is not a chart. To help you identify the type of Excel chart used, go to any Excel spreadsheet that you have already created. Click on the Insert tab. Go to the Charts group. Click on the Charts launcher. The All Charts tab displays.
7. Upload an image of the chart directly into your your Reply post so that everyone can see the chart.
8. a) Identify the name of the webpage. b) Identify the URL address. c) Identify the source of the data. Who compiled the data?Make sure the link is active and anyone can click on the link and get a direct link to the webpage where you found the chart. In addition, make sure that the page does not require a login, subscription, or an account that has to be created to view the chart.
9. Looking at the chart, what can you or anyone conclude? What is the biggest takeaway from the chart?
10. Did the chart help you to visualize the data at a quick glance? Why and how?