2. Example graph 1 Wow, what wonderfully large values of 0.005! This graph is misleading because its values are ridiculously small. When there is actually just a difference of 0.1, it seems that one is double the size of the other. This coupled with the technique of not starting at zero, can hugely distort the truth for people who just glance at a graph without looking closely at other factors. The graph also does not start at zero which can make things confusing for the reader.
3. Example graph 2 Like the other graph, the difference of the units in this graph are very small. There is only two different for every bar line. When the two most different are standing right next to each other, it brings out the contrast to us and it exaggerates the difference. The graph did not start at zero. Normally, this would not be a problem as some graphs just cannot start at zero for the huge numbers in the axis. However, here it is used inappropriately and used to misleading readers because at first glance, the difference in the red and blue bars of the ‘natural’ seems to be more than double, but in fact, it is only a difference of 8.
4. Example graph 3 Here, the graph is 3D which makes it hard to read the actual values, so estimation is needed. This can be misleading as the bars can be made to look shorter, or taller than it really is.
5. Example graph 4 Here, although the figure is supposed to give the information that the population is 2002 is only 4 times that of 1902, but to the casual reader, it seems that 2002 is a lot more than 4 times of 1902 because of its width. The picture for 2002 is about twice the width of 1902’s picture so it is very misleading. To make it fair, the 2002 picture should be the same width as 1902.
6. Example graph 5 The units of this graph don ’ t have much difference in them, but since they are so far away from each other, it looks as if the bars have a lot of difference