Every graph tells a story

Why should you care about graphing?

The ability to critically interpret graphs is one of the main indicators of college readiness.

The inability to critically interpret graphs leads to people being being easily manipulated by advertisements and interest groups

Remember, graphs are only interpretations of data, not the data itself.

These two graphs represent the same data (#1)

These two graphs represent the same data (#2)

Which graph do you think is “better” at displaying the data?

Why?

What wrong with this picture???

Why is it unwise to draw final conclusions

from graphs?

Why do scientists graph their data?to organize and emphasize the pertinent patterns from their data tables into a visual representation that is easier to understand.

Although data tables themselves can hold all the experimental information, a graph usually minimizes the number of comparisons that can be made.

Graphs help the viewer to visualize the results that answer the researchers original question. Otherwise your graph can be more confusing than the raw data.

Assignment: For each of the following graphs, discuss these questions with your

partner.1. What story is this graph telling you?

2. What is it NOT telling you?

3. What information would you like to see included?

Earnings and Unemployment versus Level of Education

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Climate Change- The Hockey Stick

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