HOW TO GRAPH
Principles | Components | Graph Selection
LINE GRAPHS EXPLAINED
Let us think about line graphs as…
EXAMPLES
Here are two examples of well-constructed line graphs:
Example 1
Example 2
TUTORIALS
- Click HERE to watch a video that shows how to make a line graph in Excel for Mac 2011.
- Cumulative frequency charts
GRADING RUBRIC
Click HERE to see the grading rubric Dr. Merritt uses to assess the line graphs you create in his science classes.
MORE RESOURCES for STUDENTS
For a description of the different types of line graphs followed by examples that illustrate when to use them, use THIS link.
To see a handout that describes how (and when) to make time series line graphs, click HERE.
Also, Gary Klass, upon whose ideas many of Dr. Merritt’s ‘How To Graph’ pages are built, offers some rules for making line graphs/charts.
Klass’s Rules for (TIME SERIES) LINE CHARTS
| 1. Time is almost always displayed on the X-axis from left to right. |
| 2. Display as much data with as little ink as possible. |
| 3. Make sure the reader can clearly distinguish the lines for separate data series. |
| 4. Beware of scaling effects. |
LINKS TO OTHER MAJOR CHART/GRAPH TYPES
Pie charts | Simple bar graphs | Histograms | Line graphs | Scatter plots
Stacked Charts | Boxplots | Sparklines | Kite diagrams