Concept Byte: Misleading Graphs and Statistics

Use With Lesson 12-5

ACTIVITY

There are many ways to graph data that show the data accurately. There are also ways to graph data that are misleading.

Activity 1

A company uses the two graphs below to display its monthly profits.

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1. How are the scales of the axes different in the two graphs?
2. An investor looks at the graph on the left and concludes that the company's profits doubled from January to June. Is the investor correct? Explain.
3. Another investor looks at the graph on the right and concludes that the company's profits increased about 25% from January to June. Is the investor correct? Explain.
4. Reasoning Which graph most accurately displays the data? Explain.

Activity 2

A local newpaper conducts a survey about where people in your town go on vacation. The paper uses the graph below to display the results.

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5. A columnist writes that many more people vacation in the United States than outside the United States. Do you think the graph supports the columnist's statement? Explain.
6. According to the graph, how many people vacation in the United States? How many people vacation outside the United States?
7. How do the areas of the bars in the graph compare?
8. Why is the graph misleading?
9. Reasoning How could you redraw the graph so that it is not misleading? Explain your answer.

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