Proper way to Label a Graph
• Identify which variable the x-axis and y-axis each represent.
• include units of measure (called scale)
• Add a title to the graph, in the form "y-axis variable vs. x-axis
variable."
From sciencing.com, By Mark Kennan
Titling the Graph
• Title summarizes what the graph itself depicts.
• Centered above the graph.
• Title like: "y-axis variable vs. x-axis variable."
– For example, Compare the amount of fertilizer to how
much a plant grew
– the amount of fertilizer (the independent, or x-axis
variable
– growth (the dependent, or y-axis variable)
– Therefore, your title would be "Amount of Fertilizer
vs. Plant Growth."
Labeling the X-Axis
• The horizontal line running side to side.
• The independent variable. (the independent variable
is the one that affects the other)
– For example, if you were plotting time worked against
dollars made
• time is the independent variable because time would pass regardless of
income.
Labeling the Y-Axis
• The vertical line running top to bottom.
• The dependent variable (the dependent variable is
the one that is affected by the independent variable)
– For example, if you were plotting time worked against
dollars made:
• dollars made would be the dependent variable because the
amount made depends on how many hours were worked.
Adding Scale and units
• X-Axis
– Chose a proper scale for the x-axis and label it with the
proper units.
• For example, if you did an experiment with different amounts of
fertilizer to see its effect on plant growth and used the x-axis to
show how much fertilizer you used, the scale for the x-axis should
go from zero to the maximum amount of fertilizer you used.
• Y-Axis
– Choose (and label) a proper scale for the y-axis, just as you
did for the x-axis.
• For example, if you did an experiment to see how different
amounts of fertilizer affected plant growth, the y-axis would
represent the plant growth, and its scale would go from zero to the
maximum amount a plant grew.
* Scatter plot / line chart
Inches
Month
Line Chart Interpret data……
* Line chart
Followers gained versus time
10,000,000
9,000,000
Followers gained
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Apr-20
* Scatter plot
Jun-20
Aug-20
Sep-20
Time (month-year)
Nov-20
Jan-21
Feb-21
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Gender vs. Eye color
* Stacked 100% bar chart
Gender vs. hair color and eye color
* Stacked bar chart
Eye color vs. Hair color
* Box and whisker plot