Representing Data

Bar graphs
• All bars are equally wide.
• Bars can touch each other or be separated by gaps of equal width.
• The height of the bars represents the magnitude or frequency of the figure.
• Bars may be horizontal or vertical.
• Bar charts are particularly useful for showing more than one set of facts. This makes them useful for
comparing and organizing data in categories.

1. This table represents the number of coloured balls in a bag.

Colour Red Green Blue Yellow Black Total

Frequency 6 10 7 4 9

Angles

Represent these data on a bar chart.

2.
3.
Histogram and Frequency Polygon
 ❖ Frequency polygon
A frequency polygon is another type of frequency distribution graph. In a frequency polygon, the number of
observations is marked with a single point at the midpoint of an interval. A straight line then connects each set of points.
 1. a) Sort these data in the following frequency table.

3 17 55 43 21 12 13 34 32 16 9 4 44
21 13 26 39 35 41 19 28 7 56 1 22 15
18 36 14 24 11 33 51 16 6 20

Number Tally Frequency

1 – 10

11 – 20

21 – 30

31 – 40

41 – 50

51 – 60

b) Represent these data on a histogram.

Pie charts (circle graphs)
Pie chart is a circle graph in which the angles of the sectors represent the frequency. The entire circle
represents 100% of the data and each sector represents a percent of the total. Pie charts are good for
comparing each category of data to the whole set.

Constructing pie charts:

1) Add all the frequencies

2) 360 ÷ sum of frequencies
3) Multiply the answer of step 2 by each frequency to get the corresponding angle.
4) Draw a circle and divide it into sectors by using the angles that you calculated in step 3 and label each
sector and label the graph.

Worked Example

1) The table below shows how a student spends her day.

Show this on a pie chart.

Start by working out the fractions.

Total no. of hours = 24

 8
•
School: ´ 360 = 120o
24
8
•
Sleeping: ´ 360 = 120o
24
3
•
Homework: ´ 360 = 45o
24
1
•
Eating: ´ 360 = 15o
24
4
´ 360 =
•
Other: 24 60o
 1. This table represents the number of coloured balls in a bag.

Colour Red Green Blue Yellow Black Total

Frequency 6 10 7 4 9

Angles

a) Represent these data on a pie chart.

2. This pie chart represents 180 coloured balls.

a) Find the fraction of blue balls in the simplest form.

b) Find the percentage of green balls.

c) Find the number of black balls

d) Find the size of the angle represents the red balls.

e) Find the probability of choosing a red ball