Chapter 12
Picture It! Graphing Information
IN THIS CHAPTER
Reading bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs
Understanding the Cartesian coordinate system
Plotting points and lines on a graph
Solving problems using a graph
A graph is a visual tool for organizing and presenting information about numbers. Most students find graphs relatively easy because they provide a picture to work with rather than just a bunch of numbers. Their simplicity makes graphs show up in newspapers, magazines, business reports, and anywhere else clear visual communication is important.
In this chapter, I introduce you to three common styles of graphs: the bar graph, the pie chart, and the line graph. I show you how to read each of these styles of graphs to obtain information. I also show you how to answer the types of questions people may ask to check your understanding.
I spend the rest of the chapter focusing on the most important type of mathematical graph: the Cartesian coordinate system, or x-y plane. This system is so common that when math folks talk about a graph, they’re usually talking about this ...
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