Pie Charts
An important part of decision making is having a clear understanding of the information used to base decisions from. Charts can be valuable when a need to represent numerical data would benefit communicating information visually. Some of the most important aspects of a good chart are to select the right type of chart (or graph) that can best characterize the data, also, to keep the design simple in order for an audience to easily understand the information.
One of the most popular types of charts is the pie chart. The pie chart is used to visually represent the proportional value of individual parts to the whole. As the name describes, this is done by representing the numerical equivalence of each part as a piece of the whole pie, which in total equates to 100%. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (2001) says that pie charts are a good choice when a relatively small amount of parts, perhaps 3 to 7, need to be represented. With any more it becomes difficult to notice the differences in magnitude; thus, the pie chart loses its simplicity and impact. They can only be used when a total amount is known, one such example would be an election where the total of votes received by all candidates equals 100% of the votes. Or a budget where the total amount spending is divided in to categories such as labor, facilities costs, advertising, etc… which always are a part of the total. However, according to McBride (2003), the pie chart could not be used to show a change in spending through out a period. A pie chart shows data at one instance, like a snapshot and cannot be used to show change in data over time (para. 4). With the advent of computers, 3D graphs have become somewhat popular, unfortunately a negative aspect is that they add complexity to the image and can distort visual proportional value. It is recommended to stick with flat “2D” charts (para. 6).
Pie charts these days are typically generated by computer software, as a result people forget that there is actually a little math involved. To create a pie chart Concordia University (2000) explains that you have to find the total value for the entire category being studied and calculate the percentage for each segment or part. Convert the percentage values for each segment into degrees relative to the 360 degrees in the circle. (For example, 12% X 360 degrees = 43 degrees). Then, Draw a circle and d...
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...chart should look like with the exception of one rule, the pieces were not arranged from largest to smallest in a clockwise manner. The sizes are mixed, making less clear the relative proportions of the pieces.
Pie charts can be an excellent tool for presenting information in a simple, visual and comprehensible manner. If used in the right situation and best practices are followed, the pie chart may be the tool that most influences a decision.
References
Pennsylvania Department of Health. (2001). Pie charts and pictographs. Retrieved January 24, 2005 from, http://www.health.state.pa.us/hpa/stats/ techassist/piechart.htm
Concordia University. (2000). Pie chart. Retrieved January 31, 2005 from, http://web2.concordia.ca/Quality/tools/21piechart.pdf
Sykes, A., & Smith, B. (1999). Getting started – A simple pie chart. Retrieved January 31, 2005 from, http://www.causeway.co.uk/tutorial/rainpro/apl99/dyalog/start.htm
Hodges, M. (2004). Grandfather economic report series. Retrieved January 31, 2005 from, http://mwhodges.home.att.net/fed_budget.htm
Perlman, H. (2003). Where is earth’s water located? Retrieved January 31, 2005 from, http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html
2. The drawings of certain items in the group gives great examples for those unfamiliar with certain products. Although, a pie graph could be used as an addition to the drawing, it would remove a person’s attention from the actual pyramid factor.
For example, within the chapter titled “fauna” there is a pie chart which depicts the percentage of bones belonging to specific species out of the total amount of animal bones found in the tomb, thus far; the chart recounts to future researchers that the remains of Bos Taurus, or cow bones, were the most common type of animal remains found in the tomb by a margin of 40.9% (Weeks 2000: 129). Another example of data which was made more easily comprehendible via use of a table would be found within the chapter titled “pottery;” the table located on page 119 includes 3 columns which outline the chamber number, number of sherds excavated, and comments about characteristic majority from each chamber (Weeks 2000: 119). This type of data representation using graphs, charts and tables is valuable for future researchers as it creates a more readily available set of statistics on which one can draw conclusions, compare data from another site, and reference historical
In this chart (3), we can see that "the change of time spending on the
chart on a later page. First, though, It probably would be good to tell a
The PTSD pie charts on my infographic are about the percentage rates about veterans getting/ having PTSD after their duties. Iraq veterans have 13.8% of their veterans getting/having PTSD, as shown in first pie chart shaded dark orange. Gulf War veterans have 12% of their veterans getting/having PTSD, as shown in the second pie chart shaded light green. The general population of veterans have 3.5% chance of having/getting PTSD, as shown in the third pie chart shaded in pink. 15.2% of male veterans have/gotten PTSD after
Pie Chart because it will show how the total budget is divided between the four fixed costs.
In evaluating statistical data one thing to consider is the measure that is used. By understanding the different statistical measurement tools and how they differ from one another, it is possible to judge whether a statistical graph can be accepted at face value. A good example is using the mean to depict averages. This was demonstrated by using the mean as a measure of determining the distribution of incomes. The mean income depicted was, $70,000 per year. At face value, it looks as though the sample population enjoys a rather high income. However, upon seeing individual salaries, it becomes obvious that only a few salaries are responsible for the high average income as depicted by the mean. The majority of the salaries were well under the $70,000 average. Therefore, the mean distributed income of $70,000 was at best misleading. By also looking at the median and mode measures of the income distributions, one has a clearer picture of the actual income distributions. Because this data contained extreme values, a standard deviation curve would have given better representation of salary distribution and would have highlighted the salaries at the high level and how they skewed the mean value.
Graph, photos, pie charts or any diagram that is/are relevant to your finding as Appendix. All the diagrams must be cited and given a title accordingly
American Journal Of Public Health103.1 (2013): 27-31. Business Source Premier.
A subcomponent of written communication is visualizations. Visualizations as discussed earlier can be as simple as a picture or graph and most commonly used in aviation as maps and charts. Most newer aircraft display a moving map to increase situational awareness and geographical location of the aircraft. This visualization tool quickly and precisely indicates where the aircraft is located so
Creative visualization process is a very powerful tool for improving our lives but, without proper understanding it is of little or no use at all.
32). The students are then able to visually keep up with their results and progress over a short or long period of time, which is then used as a motivational, visual tool. Not only does self-graphing aide in improving positive academic behaviors and habits, it also is, a contributing force for motivating students to improve due to the visual stimulus the graphing provides (p. 32). All of the student’s progression is laid out for them in one place, whether it is on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a simple bar graph they draw themselves. Self-graphing is a great way to promote an increase is wanting to do better particularly in reading and writing. Teachers and students are also able to sit together and decided which graph would be best to satisfy the greatest amount of motivation. According to Hirsch, Ennis, and McDaniel (2013), self-graphing allows for flexibility in the since that if a student does not make their goal one week, they still have the option to make it the following week (p. 33). Hirsch et. al. (2013), suggest that setting up long term reading goals on a graph allows the students to visualize where they need to be at a specific time frame, providing motivation in a visual way (p. 33). If a child seems to struggle with behavior choices, self-graphing is a positive way to provide a visual
Assessments should be aligned to learning objectives. The assessment we administered was designed to measure students’ thinking about data. Common Core standard 3.MD.B3 asks students to draw a scaled graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one-and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information from the table (Council of Chief State School Officers, CCSS, 2010). The main purpose of this assessment was to evaluate student knowledge about graphs. We also wanted to know if students were able to compare and contrast information in the graph. We think that this is an important skill that students should be able to master. Students will encounter graphs while learning about other subjects. They must know how to collect data and use the information from gra...
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