Idea 6of 22Builds onA scale counts in equal steps
A bar graph compares groups
How does a bar graph let you compare groups at a glance?
Today you'll discover
- what a category is
- what the height of a bar shows
- how to find how many more
Think firstRoom 12 voted for its favourite recess activity
How can you tell the most popular activity at a glance?
Decide first, then press Next. Compare the heights, not the order or the width.
A bar graph of Room 12's favourite recess activity: Soccer 12, Tag 8, Skipping 5, Reading 3, all bars the same width. Then the values are printed, and a bracket between the tops of Soccer and Tag reads 4 more. The last step shows how students get to school: Walk 28, Bus 25, Car 19.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
A bar graph gives each category one bar; the taller bar has the bigger count.
Easy to get wrongBars are all the same width, with gaps between them. Only the height carries the number.
How many more?To compare two bars, subtract the smaller count from the bigger one. Soccer 12 − Tag 8 = 4 more.
Key words
- bar graph
- a graph that shows each category's amount as a bar
- category
- one group the data is sorted into, like Soccer or Tag
Ready to use it?
- Read a bar graph's counts.
- Find how many more one category has than another.