Home / Brinton, Willard C. Graphic Methods for Presenting Facts. New York: The Engineering Magazine Company, 1914. Internet Archive identifier: cu31924032626792 (Cornell University Library copy). The first American textbook on what we now call data visualization. / Passage

Graphic Methods for Presenting Facts

Brinton, Willard C. Graphic Methods for Presenting Facts. New York: The Engineering Magazine Company, 1914. Internet Archive identifier: cu31924032626792 (Cornell University Library copy). The first American textbook on what we now call data visualization. 272 words

A rapid reader seeing Fig. 47 is likely to get a much exaggerated idea of the increase in the American exports of automobiles. The arrangement of the three horizontal bars for the three years is such that the reader is justified in assuming that the years are consecutive. He is not likely to notice that the upper bar represents the year 1906 and that four years are omitted between 1906 and the consecutive years 1911 and 1912. Since there is nothing to indicate that years have been left

out after 1906, the reader seeing

SHOWING THE AMAZING INCREASE IN OUR EXPORTS OF MOTOR CARS, AND THE STEADY DECREASE IN OUR IMPORTS, IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS

World's Work

Fig. 47. This Illustration was Originally Printed with Fig. 45 on the Same Page of a Magazine, yet in Fig. 45 the Earliest Year was Shown at the Bottom While Here the Earliest Year is Properly Shown at the Top

There is, however, danger, in this illustration, that the reader may assume that the three bars represent consecutive years without noticing the jump from 1906 to 1911. Compare Fig, -iS

Value, American Exports

'4,409,136 H

21,63e,661 28,300,139

Value, Imports from Abroad

4,910,208

2,446,248 2,000,000

Fig. 48. The Contrast of American Exports and Imports of Automobiles

The data of Fig. 47 have here been redrawn. The values have been shown at the left of the bars, where they give the neatest and most convenient arrangement. Note that the bar for 1906 is somewhat separated from the bar for 1911, so as to indicate to the reader that the three bars do not represent consecutive years