Practice: Concepts and Basic Data Analysis

Use the internet to find one example of each of the following graphs:

• Line graph
• Bar graph (horizontal or vertical bars are acceptable)
• Pie graph

Suppose you were presenting these graphs to a group of people (clients, co-workers, friends, etc.) who are not mathematically savvy.

Create a 7- to 10-slide presentation with speaker notes that provides a non-technical explanation of each graph. Remember, you are addressing people who probably do not like or understand mathematical terms.

For each graph, include the following:

• Screenshot of your graph.
• For the line graph, what are the labels on the horizontal and vertical axes?
• For the bar graph, what labels are on the bars? What is being measured in this graph? (Hint: look at the axis label.)
• For the pie graph, what is the title, in other words, what is it measuring?
• How would you improve each graph if at all? Is anything missing, misleading, or perhaps just wrong with this graph?
• What would be the appropriate measure(s) for central tendency (mean, median, mode) to display with each graph?
• What measure of dispersion (range, standard deviation) would be best?
• Provide a reference citation for the source of your graph so your facilitator can find the graph online. Note: sometimes information changes from day to day on websites, hence the reason for the required screenshot in first bullet point above.

Note: If you are having difficulty finding graphs here are a few places to consider looking:

• Your online utility bill
• Your fitness app
• A dashboard at your office
• U.S. Government websites such as:
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • The Bureau of Economic Analysis
  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • A scholarly article in the University Llibrary
  • Business, finance, and money management websites