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ZOO212 - Session 2 - Graphs Powerpoint

Quantitative data that can be ordered or represents a continuous variable like time. Line graphs are used to show trends or changes over time by connecting data points with lines.

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56 views21 pages

ZOO212 - Session 2 - Graphs Powerpoint

Quantitative data that can be ordered or represents a continuous variable like time. Line graphs are used to show trends or changes over time by connecting data points with lines.

Uploaded by

siwetwaku
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic types of graphs

To do today
• Types of data
• Types of graphs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZxnzfnt5v8
Types of data
• Primary vs secondary
Primary - Data that you have collected Secondary - Data that someone else collected

• Quantitative vs qualitative
Numbers Not numbers – nominal or categories

• Discrete vs continuous
Fixed values (cant have half people) Smooth scale
Scales of measurement
Graphs
• Are used to display summaries of the data that has been collected
• Guiding principle
• Produce clear, unambiguous, representations of your results
• Draw readers attention to the most important aspects of your results and
should be free of distracting elements
• In most cases this means a simple clean figure
• The way you present information can vary with your target audience
(conference talks vs. journal articles)
Types of graphs
• Several types of graphs from which the researcher can choose. Your
choice of graphs will be determined by which one depicts your results
most effectively and by the scale of measurement you used.
Bar Graph
• Plot a quantitative variable on y-axis against a grouping (categorical)
variable on the x axis
• Value of the variable for each categorical variable represented by the
height of the bar
• Top of the bar can represent a single total or some summary statistic
(i.e. mean [average]). If average, then you must include the measure
of the variation (error bars - see session 4).
• A second grouping variable can be represented in bars next to the
first in a different colour
• Avoid using 3 dimensional bar graphs for 2 dimensional data
Bar graph - examples

Quantitative variable (the number of


observations) for each category (the age class).
The top of the bar represents the number of each
of the categories
Bar graph - examples

Quantitative variable (the number of


observations) for each category (1st, 2nd, 3rd or
crew) for two different categories (not survived or
survived). The top of the bar represents the
number of each of the categories and we can
compare between survived and not survived.
Bar graph - examples

Average of the quantitative variable for each


category (broccoli, cabbage, wild mustard). The
top of the bar represents the average of each of
the categories and the bars represent the variation
around this average (see session 4 for more
information).
Line graph
• Like bar graphs but the top of the bar is replaced by a symbol and the
adjacent points are connected by a straight line
• Used when the categorical variables on the x-axis can be ordered or is
quantitative (i.e. time)
• Symbol can represent a single value or the average (as in the bar
chart)
Line graph

Line graph of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each


point reflects the number of confirmed cases,
deaths and recovered people with the lines
joining each point. The y-axis is time so this is
an ordered variable so there is a logical
meaning of drawing a line between each
point.
Scatterplots
• Effective tool representing bivariate (two continuous datasets)
relationship
• Can include a line that represents the average trend between the two
variables (called the regression or trend line)
• Can also plot confidence intervals around the regression line, called
confidence ellipses
Scatterplots

X X

Y Y

Bivariate line plot between the variable X and Y. The blue line reflects the average trend of the data, thus as X
increases so does Y and it implies there is a relationship between X and Y.
Example from ZOO212
Pie charts
• Each category’s value represented by the size of its section or slice of
the circle
• More often used in business rather than science, and these have no
use in statistical graphics
• Many scientists argue that they should never be used due to their low
data density and variables cannot be ordered
Pie charts

Pie chart reflecting the percentage that


each flavor makes up out of all the
possible pies.
Question
• You have been helping Prof Vine do some work on one of his
Aquaculture projects. You have collected data on the size (in grams)
and colour of fish feeding on a certain type of copepod (small
crustacean). Describe what type of data you have collected. [6] *
Hint, for 6 marks you need to list and describe at least 3 data types
Questions
• What type of data are generally used when creating a line graph?

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