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. 276 words

The dotted line shows conclusively by its slant that the total consumption from 1905 to 1908 inclusive went up just about as rapidly as the growth of the population would lead one to expect. After 1908, however, there was a tremendous drop in total consumption, even though the population kept on increasing. In 1912, the average total consumption per day went up somewhat above 1911, but yet it did not increase much more rapidly than the slanting line of the 'per capita scale might indicate as permissible. Fig. 90 could have been improved somewhat if the dotted line had been replaced by a broad black line which would bring the yearly-average curve vividly to the attention of the reader. The yearly-average curve really gives the most interesting conclusions which can be drawn from this chart and it is worthy of greater emphasis to the eye than is given to it in the chart.

It would have been better if the scale for "millions of gallons per day" had been placed only at the left-hand edge of the chart in heavy lettering so the figures would stand out clearly. The scale for the slanting co-ordinate lines could then be placed at the end of each slanting line at the right-hand side of the chart. The scale for the slanting co-ordinate lines is too difficult to find in Fig. 90.

An interesting study could be made from Fig. 90 by plotting a curve which would show each year the percentage of services which were not metered, instead of using the figures at the top of the chart which show the percentage of services which are metered. A curve