Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals教材课程.pptVIP

Line charts are commonly used to show trends over time or the relationship of two or more variables. In line charts showing trends, the vertical (y-axis) shows the amount, and the horizontal (x-axis) shows the time or other quantity against which the amount is being measured. If you need to compare two or more sets of data, you can plot them on the same chart for instant visual comparison. Two or three lines on a single chart are usually easy to read, but beyond that, things can get confusing, particularly if the lines cross. A surface chart, also called an area chart, is a form of line chart with a cumulative effect; all the lines add up to the top line, which represents the total. This form of chart helps you illustrate changes in the composition of something over time. When preparing a surface chart, put the most important segment against the baseline, and restrict the number of strata to four or five. A bar chart portrays numbers by the height or length of its rectangular bars, making a series of numbers easy to read or understand. Bar charts are particularly valuable when you want to: Compare the size of several items at one time. Show changes in one item over time. Indicate the composition of several items over time. Show the relative size of components of a whole. You can be creative with bar charts in many ways. You might align the bars either vertically or horizontally or you might even use bar charts to show both positive and negative quantities. Be careful, however, to keep all the bars in the chart the same width; different widths could suggest a relative importance to the viewer. In addition, space the bars evenly and place them in a logical order such as chronological or alphabetical. Bar charts can appear in various forms. The Singular bar chart above represents the various computer skills of CommuniCo’s staff. Bar charts can appear in various forms: Segmented (CommuniCo Preferred Communication Media). Bar charts can appear in various forms: Com