Three ways to show data
The same data can be shown in different charts. A pictograph uses pictures, a bar chart uses bars, and a pie chart uses slices of a circle. Each chart shows the same numbers in its own way.
Key idea
In a pictograph, one picture can stand for more than one thing. For example, 1 picture = 2 pupils.
The same story, different pictures
A taller bar or a bigger slice both mean a bigger number. The total always stays the same, no matter which chart we choose.
Worked example
20 pupils have pets. In a pictograph, 1 picture = 2 pupils, so 5 pictures show cats (5 × 2 = 10 pupils). In a bar chart, the cat bar reaches 10. In a pie chart, cats fill half the circle. All three show the same 10 pupils!
Remember
- Pictograph = pictures.
- Bar chart = bars.
- Pie chart = slices of a circle.