Objective:

To enable students to read, interpret and construct bar graphs.

What is Bar Graph?

The pictorial representation of grouped data, in the form of vertical or horizontal rectangular bars, where the lengths of the bars are equivalent to the measure of data, are known as bar graphs or bar charts.

The bars drawn are of uniform width, and the variable quantity is represented on one of the axes. Also, the measure of the variable is depicted on the other axes. The heights or the lengths of the bars denote the value of the variable, and these graphs are also used to compare certain quantities. The frequency distribution tables can be easily represented using bar charts which simplify the calculations and understanding of data.

The three major attributes of bar graphs are:

• The bar graph helps to compare the different sets of data among different groups easily.
• It shows the relationship using two axes, in which the categories are on one axis and the discrete values are on the other axis.
• The graph shows the major changes in data over time.

What Constitutes a Bar Graph?

Following are the many parts of a bar graph:

• Vertical axis
• Horizontal axis
• The bar graph’s title informs the reader of its purpose.
• The title of the horizontal axis indicates the information that is shown there.
• The title of the vertical axis indicates the data it is used to display.
• The categories on the particular axis indicate what each bar represents.
• The bar graph’s scale demonstrates how numbers are used in the data. It is a system of markings spaced at specific intervals that aid in object measurement. For instance, the scale of a graph may be stated as 1 unit = 10 fruits

Types of Bar Graphs

The bar graphs can be vertical or horizontal. The primary feature of any bar graph is its length or height. If the length of the bar graph is more, then the values are greater than any given data.

The types of bar charts are as follows:

Vertical Bar Graphs

When the grouped data are represented vertically in a graph or chart with the help of bars, where the bars denote the measure of data, such graphs are called vertical bar graphs. The data is represented along the y-axis of the graph, and the height of the bars shows the values.

Horizontal Bar Graphs

When the grouped data are represented horizontally in a chart with the help of bars, then such graphs are called horizontal bar graphs, where the bars show the measure of data. The data is depicted here along the x-axis of the graph, and the length of the bars denotes the values.

Bar Graph Maker: 

Use this link to generate Bar Graph Online – Bar Graph Maker

Practice Questions

1. The number of bed sheets manufactured by a factory during five consecutive weeks is given below.

Draw the bar graph representing the above data.

2. The number of students in 7 different classes is given below. Represent this data on the bar graph.

3. The following table shows the favorite sports of 300 students of a school.

Represent the above data using a column graph.

4. The following data represents the sale of refrigerator sets in a showroom in the first 6 months of the year.

Draw the bar graph for the data given and find out the months in which the sale was minimum and maximum.

5. The number of absentees in class VI was recorded in a particular week. Represent this data on the bar graph.

(a) On which day the maximum and minimum students were absent?

(b) How many students were absent on Wednesday and Friday?

(c) On which days the same number of students were absent?