Data Presentation
Objectives
You must be able to;
Construct a pie chart
Interpret and analyze data from pie charts and line graph
Introduction
It is important to present data or information in an easy way which can be understood by us
scientists and others. Data must be clearly presented so that one cannot waste time trying to
understand them. After doing our experiments numerical results must be presented in a way
that can be read easily so that no time is wasted trying to understand them. There are many
ways of presenting data and in this unit we will look at data presentation using pie charts and
line graphs
Here is a list of some of the new words you are going to meet in this unit:
Base SI unit – any of the seven SI units from which all of the other SI units are obtained.
Chart – a way of presenting data in the form of a picture.
Data –it is a collection of information.
Dependent value – a variable with values which depends on other another variable and is
plotted on the y-axis.
Derived SI unit – any SI unit obtained from the base SI unit
Pie charts
Pie charts also known as circle chart shows data or information in an easy to read format with
varying sizes displaying you how much of one data element exists. The bigger the size the
more of that particular data was gathered. They represent data which is classified into
different categories and you can easily see which item is the most popular and the least
popular. You can use different colours to represent different slices or categories of the pie
charts. Pie charts are not commonly used in physics because they do not show the exact
values and quantities. The pie chart below represents the percentage of different gases in
exhaled or the air we breathe out.
A pie chart showing composition of gases in air
However, pie charts do not display the exact figures of the quantities but just show
proportions. Pie charts also do not show changes of quantities over time.
Activity
Can you try the following activities to see how much you have grasped so far
1. Use the information below to construct a pie chart of the percentage number of people
against their favorite type of meat.
2.
Type of meat Percentage number of people
Chicken 55
beef 25
Pork 1o
Mutton 10
HINT: when constructing a pie chart take note of the following steps;
1. Put your data in a table as in table above in activity
2. Divide each number by the total and express it in percentage by multiplying by 10
3. Determine the number of degrees of each sector by multiplying by 360.
Line graphs
Line graphs are used in comparing different events or situations and they present data which
changes continuously over time. They are made up of the vertical or y-axis and the horizontal
or x-axis. They are made up of the independent variables (for example temperature) which
are plotted on the horizontal axis and the dependent variable (for example no of days) on the
vertical axis. We can also alter the variables and study the effects. The independent variables
can be altered and the dependent can be the responding variables. After carrying out an
experiment a graph is used to find the relationship between the independent and dependent
variables.
The point where the y-axis and the x-axis are equal to zero is called the origin. The
information presented by the graph is obtained from the title of the graph and also by looking
at the x-axis and the y-axis which are always labelled. Data or information is first provided in
a table of results with a set of numbers. The table of results is then used to plot a line graph. If
the line graph passes through the y-axis the point is called the y-intercept and if it passes
through the x-axis the point is called the x-intercept. The relationship between the two
variables being studied is determined by the gradient of the curve. Gradient is the change in
value on the y-axis divided by the change in value on the x-axis.
When gradient is positive or negative a straight line graph is formed. In the case of a straight
line graph, the variables are directly proportional hence they increase together. If the straight
line graph has a negative gradient it is inversely proportional hence the x-axis values
increases as the y-axis decreases and vice versa.
Activity 2
The average rainfall in mm of a region over a number of months is presented in the table
below
Month Average rainfall
Jan 40
Feb 50
Mar 35
Apr 20
May 10
Jun 45
Presenting the month on the x-axis and average rainfall in mm on the y-axis
1. Draw a line graph
2. Draw a bar graph
Note You use your free hand when joining points in a straight line graph. The line must be
smooth and each point is joined by a straight line. Remember to label y-axis and the x-axis.
Use a suitable scale when constructing a line graph
Summary
Graphs allows us to present data in a way that is easy to read
Pie charts show data as a percentage of the total data collected
Line and bar graphs give more information than pie charts
