College Math

College Math Study Guide

5.4 Line Graphs Line graphs also provide visual representation of the collected data. Just like bar graphs, it also constitutes two axes, horizontal and vertical, and the values are joined by a line. The values are derived by joining the corresponding points on the line by corresponding vertical and horizontal axis. Let us consider an example to see how to read and interpret the information from line graphs. The line graph below shows monthly profits earned by a company during the first half of the year.

Profits (in USD million)

10 15 20 25 30 35

0 5

January February

March

April

May

June

We can read the chart by joining the lines corresponding to each point to both the vertical and horizontal axis. It can be interpreted, for instance, that the company earned a profit of USD 10 million in the month of January. Similarly, we can find the same for other months. These graphs are important for analysis and interpretation that facilitates decision making. For instance, one can see that the profitability decreases in April, the rising trend of profits during the period in study, etc. It should also be noted that in the above example, only one line graph was given. But it may also be possible that multiple lines are given in the graph each line denoting different variables. For instance, the profitability of two companies over different years can be given by two line graphs in one plot. 5.5 Pie Charts Pie charts are one of the most ubiquitous types of charts as one can see them in variety of places like business reports, newspapers, and even magazines. One of the fundamental premises to understanding pie charts is to remember that they are comprised of different smaller parts, such that when all the smaller parts are added gives the total sum. That is, add up all the slices of the pie and

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