Bar diagram
Also called: Simple bar diagram, Column diagram · Topic: Economic Data: Census, NSS, Surveys and Statistical Tools · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Presentation of Data"; Class 11, Ch 8 "Use of Statistical Tools"
Meaning
A bar diagram shows data as bars that are equally spaced and equally wide. Only the height of each bar matters, so it is a one-dimensional diagram. It suits discrete data, attributes and data that are not frequencies. It is easy to read, but it is less exact than a table.
Example
In Census 2011, female literacy was highest in Kerala at 92.0% and lowest in Rajasthan at 52.7%. A bar diagram shows each state as a bar, with its height set by the literacy rate. A multiple bar diagram can put the 2001 and 2011 figures side by side, for example India's 53.7% and 65.5%.
Don't confuse with
- Histogram: this is two-dimensional, because the area of each bar shows the frequency. Its bars touch each other, and it is used only for continuous data.
Related concepts
- Raw data
- Classification
- Chronological classification
- Spatial classification
- Qualitative classification
- Quantitative classification
- Attribute
- Continuous variable
- Discrete variable
- Frequency