Qualitative

Data
You are comparing parts of a whole,
percentages, or fractions.

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You are comparing data sets that are in

different categories or groups.

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You are summarizing and/or comparing

Quantitative
data by dividing it into equal intervals
(i.e., a frequency distribution). Data
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You are comparing data to determine the

cause and effect relationship between
variables.
To use this Graphing Decision Foldable:
You are looking at the trend between 1. Identify the two sets of data to be graphed.
one data point and another.
2. Determine which of these data sets is to
be graphed on the x-axis (horizontal axis).
! cut to here The data graphed on the x-axis determines
the graph type.

3. Open the appropriate tab (above) to

determine if the data on the x-axis is
You are comparing data to determine if qualitative or quantitative.
there is a correlation between variables. FAIRFAX COUNTY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS 4. Use the right hand tabs (inside) to
You are looking at the overall trend determine the best type of graph to display
among all data points. the data.
 U.S. Energy Use by Source in 2002
Qualitative Data Nuclear
8% Oil
• Qualitative data belong to different groups 39%

or categories (e.g., male or female).

Circle Graph
Natural Gas
24%

• Qualitative data can include names (e.g., Coal

red, blue, green) and ranks or ordered 23%

positions (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd). Renewable

6%

• Qualitative data points are members

of one group or another — there are no
“in-between” options. The Effect of the Type of Insulation on the
Amount of Thermal Energy Lost
Examples: Days of the week, gender (male 30

Thermal Energy Lost (°C )

or female), kind of animal, brand of battery, 25

Bar Graph
color, grade (A, B, C), size (small, medium, 20

Amount of
large), place in contest (1st, 2nd, 3rd), etc. 15
10
Bar graphs and circle graphs are used to 5
display qualitative data. 0
Feathers Newspaper Sawdust Popcorn Foam
Types of Insulation
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Distribution of Shortleaf Pine Seeds per Cone

120
Quantitative Data 100
Number of Cones

• Quantitative data are often collected 80

using standard measurement scales that

are divided into equal intervals (e.g.,
temperature, length, time).
60
40
20
Histogram
0
0–10 11–20 21–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61–70 71–80 81–90 91–100
• Quantitative data points can be any value
Number of Seeds per Cone
in a continuous range of measurements
which can be broken down smaller and
still have meaning (e.g., 2 m or 200 cm; Change in Number of Eagle Nests In Virginia
7.0 g or 7.045 g). 400
Number of Nests

300
• Quantitative data can also be consecutive
numbers that are not meaningful when
broken down smaller (e.g., test score).
200

100
Line Graph
Examples: Length (cm), amount of fertilizer 0
1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
(mg), length of time (sec), mass (kg), Year
temperature (°C), test score, etc.
The Relationship Between Height and Arm Span
Histograms, line graphs, and scatterplots are 180
used to display quantitative data. 175
Arm Span (cm)

170
Note: Like histograms, line plots, box-
Scatterplot
165
and-whisker plots and stem-and-leaf plots are 160
used to display frequency distributions. 155
150
150 155 160 165 170 175 180
Height (cm)