Читать книгу Statistical Analysis with Excel For Dummies - Joseph Schmuller - Страница 40

Suppose you have to make a pitch to a Congressional committee about commercial space revenues in the early 1990s.

Which would you rather present: the data in Table 3-1 or the graph in Figure 3-1, which shows the same data? (The data, by the way, is from the US Department of Commerce, via the Statistical Abstract of the US.)

TABLE 3-1 US Commercial Space Revenues 1990–1994 (in Millions of Dollars)

Industry	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Commercial Satellites Delivered	1,000	1,300	1,300	1,100	1,400
Satellite Services	800	1,200	1,500	1,850	2,330
Satellite Ground Equipment	860	1,300	1,400	1,600	1,970
Commercial Launches	570	380	450	465	580
Remote Sensing Data	155	190	210	250	300
Commercial R&D Infrastructure	0	0	0	30	60
Total	3,385	4,370	4,860	5,295	6,640

Data from U.S. Department of Commerce

FIGURE 3-1: Graphing the data in Table 3-1.

Which one would have a greater and more lasting impact? Although the table is certainly informative, most people would argue that the graph gets the point across better and more memorably. (Eyes that glaze over when looking at numbers often shine brighter when looking at pictures.)

The graph shows you trends you might not see as quickly on the table. (Satellite services rose fastest. Commercial launches, not so much.) Bottom line: Tables are good; graphs are better.

Graphs help bring concepts to life that might otherwise be difficult to understand. In fact, I do that throughout the book. I illustrate points by, well, illustrating points!