Exemplar 8: Ancillaries 

Table of Contents
Page 10

A typical bar graph shows information in two dimensions, the x-axis (horizontal) and the y-axis (vertical).

Illustration of a bar graph d

In this example, the bars of the graph show preferences for candy flavors among four different age groups. Each candy flavor is shown as a taller or shorter bar according to the number of people who chose that flavor as their favorite within each group. You may be able to spot a trend across ages, for example if some flavors increase in popularity as the people surveyed grow older while other flavors decrease in popularity. It is also easy to see specific information within a bar graph. For example, you can see at a glance which flavor is the most popular in any given age group.

Take another look at the graph and see if you can answer the following questions.

  • Do any flavors steadily increase in popularity across age groups?
  • Which flavor is the most popular with the most people of all age groups?
  • Which two flavors have the greatest difference in preference for each age group?
  • Do any flavors show a consistent level of popularity across age groups?