http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Introduction to Physical Science
1.32 Scientific Graphing
- State why graphs are useful in science.
- Describe bar graphs and their uses.
- Describe circle graphs and what they show.
- Describe line graphs and how they are used.
Tornadoes, like the one pictured here, are very powerful storms that can cause incredible destruction. Their winds
may exceed 300 miles per hour, and they can completely level towns and neighborhoods in just minutes. Because
tornadoes can be so serious, they are closely monitored, measured, and counted. As a result, there are a lot of data
on tornadoes. One way to present these data is with graphs.
Using Graphs in Science
Graphs are very useful tools in science. They can help you visualize a set of data. With a graph, you can actually
see what all the numbers in a data table mean. Three commonly used types of graphs are bar graphs, circle graphs,
and line graphs. Each type of graph is suitable for showing a different type of data.
Bar Graphs
The data inTable1.6 shows the average number of tornadoes per year for the ten U.S. cities that have the most
tornadoes. The data were averaged over the time period 1950–2007.