Question

The graph below shows the number of new clients brought into Sunnydays Insurance Company. Why is the graph misleading?

the graph is in the comments

Answer 1

http://assets.openstudy.com/updates/attachments/4fb276cbe4b0556534283add-kilee1-1337095895790-15539436200832852pm63280803.gif

Answer 2

Does anything strike you as unusual about the graph?

Answer 3

umm, there are no lines in the box?

Answer 4

Look at the x-axis labels...

Answer 5

Here's another graph of that same data.

Answer 6

ohh, ok, so there should be more lines between the bigger numbers?

Answer 7

the point is that the x-axis isn't linear — 1 inch on the left side of the graph doesn't represent the same amount of time as 1 inch on the right side of the graph. obviously, that affects the shape of the curve...the original curve makes it look more impressive, doesn't it? every 2 ticks on the x-axis and we have 50 more customers. but my graph shows the truth — we continue to get more customers, but it takes longer and longer to get each 50 additional customers

Answer 8

There certainly ARE applications for graphs where one or more of the axes aren't linear. Many scientific graphs involve logarithmic scales, for example. This isn't such a case, however...

Answer 9

ohh, ok, im starting to get it now :D

Answer 10

Here's a more practical example: suppose you make a graph of how many rolls of toilet paper you have left in the house, in an attempt to predict when you need to go buy some more (without having to have too much of it around when you don't need it). If you check on an irregular schedule, but mark the points on the graph as if they happened regularly, your line that goes through "rolls of toilet paper = 0" is going to be in the wrong spot :-)

Answer 11

oh wow, your really, good at this, thanks ^_^

Answer 12

and if you happened to look on my iPad, you might even find that I have such a graph, because I hate buying another 36-roll pack of toilet paper from Costco, only to get home and find that there's already one in the cabinet, but I hate running out of toilet paper even more :-)

Answer 13

haha, funny, thanks 4 the help! :D

Answer 14

you bet. I hope that helped you tune up your senses for when someone making a graph is deliberately or accidentally misleading you...

Answer 15

haha yeah

Answer 16

unfortunately, you sort of have to assume that one or the other is true, until proven otherwise! If this interests you at all, and you have a decent library nearby, look for a book by Edward Tufte called "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" — it's a fascinating book showing all sorts of good and bad examples of graphs, charts, etc.