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Statistics chart and graph makers

Chart makers and frequency-table tools for turning raw numbers into a picture: histograms, box plots, dot plots, stem-and-leaf plots, pie charts, Venn diagrams and scatter plots. Each draws the chart and shows the table or calculation behind it, so you can copy either into an assignment or report.

Which calculator do I need?

You have or wantUse
The shape of one set of numbers, with bars for each rangeHistogram maker
Compare the spread of several groups side by sideBox plot calculator
A small dataset where every value should stay visibleStem-and-leaf plot
Shares of a whole, such as survey answers by categoryPie chart calculator
The relationship between two variablesScatter plot maker
A frequency table with relative and cumulative columnsFrequency distribution calculator
Your data plotted against mean ± 1, 2, 3 SDStandard deviation graph
A normal curve from a mean and standard deviationBell curve generator

Distribution charts

Charts that show how the values of one variable are spread out.

Frequency tables

The tables most charts are built from, and the class widths and sorting that go into them.

Categories and relationships

Charts for shares of a whole, overlapping sets and pairs of variables.

Standard deviation and the normal curve

Pictures of spread: your data against its SD bands, or a normal curve with shaded areas.

Picking the right chart

Start from the kind of data and the question.

  • One numeric variable, many values. A histogram shows the overall shape: where values cluster, whether there is a long tail, whether there are two peaks. A box plot reduces the same data to five numbers and is better for comparing several groups at once.
  • One numeric variable, few values. A dot plot or stem-and-leaf plot keeps every value visible, which a histogram loses.
  • Categories. A pie chart works for a handful of parts of one whole. For many categories, or to compare counts, a bar chart reads more accurately.
  • Two numeric variables. A scatter plot shows whether they move together; add a trend line to see the direction and strength.

How many bins?

A histogram’s shape depends on its class width. Too few bins hide detail; too many turn it into noise. Sturges’ rule suggests k = 1 + log₂ n classes. For 20 values that is 1 + 4.32 ≈ 5.3, so about 6 classes. If the data run from 12 to 71, the range of 59 divided by 6 gives 9.8, rounded up to a class width of 10, starting at 10 or 12. The class width calculator does this arithmetic and lists the class limits and boundaries; the histogram calculator compares Sturges with the square-root, Scott and Freedman–Diaconis rules.

Common mix-ups

  • Histogram vs bar chart. Histogram bars touch because the classes are continuous ranges; bar chart bars are separate categories.
  • Frequency vs relative frequency. Frequency is a count; relative frequency is that count divided by the total, which lets you compare groups of different sizes.
  • Frequency polygon vs line graph. A frequency polygon joins class midpoints and closes at zero on both ends; it shows a distribution, not a change over time.

Guides to read alongside

Common questions

What is the difference between a histogram and a bar chart?
A histogram shows the distribution of one numeric variable, with touching bars over continuous class intervals. A bar chart compares separate categories, so its bars have gaps and can be put in any order.
How do I choose the number of classes for a histogram?
Sturges’ rule, k = 1 + log₂ n, is a common starting point and gives 5 to 8 classes for most classroom datasets. For large or skewed datasets, the Freedman–Diaconis rule, based on the IQR, usually gives a clearer picture.
Should I use a box plot or a histogram?
Use a histogram to see the shape of one distribution in detail, including gaps and multiple peaks. Use a box plot to compare several groups side by side, or when you mainly care about the median, quartiles and outliers.