Everything futuristic action depends on the analysis we make in the present. Analyses are an essential tool to make decisions, predict the viability of any decision, find the feasibility of things and a lot is possible by using productive analysis.
With the help of modern computing tools today, analyses don’t happen simply while putting synchronized thoughts. It gathers the combined effort of available tools and human thinking. Now today this combination happens with the aid of a computer and the human brain.
Although the technique involves a machine, the process is traditional by the usage of graphs. Graphs are a simple pictorial tool which represents the reality of any decision, firm, status, etc. It takes into consideration the numbers. There are a variety of graphs available and a line graph is one of them.
Knowing the novel idea
A graph is a pictorial tool that is used to give a summary of data in a one-shot manner. Graphs come in varying patterns as per the use and need. Line graphs are graphs containing lines. It is as simple as the name.
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The idea is to sketch a graph using lines. The lines could be straight or curved. They are made with the aid of any numbers for which you would want an idea. The making is also simple while the analysis could depend upon the graph.
Line graphs are the simplest methods to plot the numbers and get the desired idea quickly. Technically, when the data is to be presented in such a manner that the change takes place over a period of time, a line graph is preferred to make.
Line graph could be a continuous straight line or discontinuous in the form of segments. It depends on the variation of the values for which the graph is being made.
How is it made?
The making of a line graph is quite simple. One needs the chunk of data to be compared and the required stationery items. So before making it, one must have a brief idea about the person who discovered it.
The ideation occurred in the mind of a great mathematician Rene Descartes to develop a Cartesian system. In it there are two axes named as x-axis and y-axis. Their meeting point is known as the origin point. The two axes can be considered as a part of a two-dimensional plane.
When you would want to make the line graph, you would need two sets of numbers. One set of number would be depicted on the x-axis while the other group of numbers would be depicted on the y-axis.
The combination of the two sets of numbers will make a point to be plotted on the graph. So if the set of number to be depicted on the x-axis is 1 while the number of the y-axis is also 1 then the point will be represented by (1, 1). In this format, the former digit represents the number from the x-axis while the latter represents the number from the y-axis. On similar lines, the origin will be represented as (0, 0).
While making the line graph, such a point has to be found that coincides with the points of x and y-axis. The distance is taken perpendicularly from each of the axes to represent the point. The distance will be according to the digits of the format (x, y).
When each and every point is plotted on the sheet of paper, they are joined together. Either they will make a straight line or they will follow a curve. Whatever the type of line is made, it will signify some meaning. This meaning is used by analysts to drive better and informed decisions. Further few calculations are also made by watching the plot.
There is so much possible with these line graphs. The best part is these are effortless to make. One just needs to get the numbers, plot them and use it for making any decision.
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Applications of Line Graph
The line graphs are such a useful tool to be applied anywhere. They can be put to use in multiple fields. They are;
- Derive growth: This is the simplest use of a line graph. If the line graph is something that moves outwards from the origin towards the higher numbers, then it will signify growth. One can calculate the rate at which things are growing.
- Calculate dependency: When we plot the graph usually one of the groups of numbers are such that they are dependent on the second set’s values. One can decipher the rate of change and hence the dependency.
- The comparison is possible: The line graph comes with the feasibility of making multiple line graphs on a single sheet of paper and with the same axes. So one can easily compare multiple growths and declines.
Line Graph: Advantages
There are so many advantages of line graphs. They are;
- They are so easy to make and comprehend.
- They save our time and energy to analyze.
- They do not require any specific instruments to be drawn.
- Multiple line graphs on a single graph are possible to view without any hassle.
- The clarity of viewing the data is enhanced as compared to the other forms of graphs.
- The calculations related to the graph can be done with the effortless procedure.
- No higher educational qualification is required to plot the graph.
Winding Up
This was all about the simple, effortless and useful features of a line graph. Any tool which presents the data in a pictorial form can be so much easy to comprehend. They magnify the visual memory of humans. And the visual memory can be an awesome tool to retain things, peculiar data for longer. It just makes things smooth and clear.
So one must make use of this super-easy tool to understand, analyze and view large or small chunks of data at one go. If one is aware of the two sets required to make the graph, one can easily draw the graph.