Real- Life Examples Of Really Bad Graphs By: Math Byrd, 2017

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How the Media Uses Statistics to Mislead AudiencesReal- life examples of really bad graphsBy: Math Byrd, 2017As audience members of the media, including the Internet, TV, radio, newspapers, and web-apps, itis our responsibility to question all information that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. As they say,“You can’t believe everything you hear.” So how do we determine what information is true and whatinformation is misleading? First, become educated by researching multiple sources to learn as much aspossible about the topic at hand. Second, become educated in reading math! That’s right, read math!Reading math means being able to comprehend mathematical symbols and displays, such as graphs.Media outlets constantly use graphs to display information to its viewers. In the same way we have toanalyze any story we read to make sure we are getting all accounts of an event; we must also analyzegraphs to make sure information is not being misrepresented.In this article is a selection of horrible graphs that have been found in the media. These graphs arethe type that make your math teacher cringe. Let’s have a look and see what we find.Case Study #1: a newspaper article, that wasfound on the Business Insider website. The headersays: The National Collegiate Health Assessment wastaken by 1,000 UCSB (University of California- SantaBarbara) students in Spring 2009. The participantswere asked how frequently they used substancesover the past 30 days. Numbers in white reflect theactual student use, while red numbers indicateperceived substance use. The average age ofparticipants was 20 years and approximately 99%were full-time students.Do you see what is wrong with this bar graph?The bar heights have no variation; there are only twoheights to represent all the different percentages.Why does 0% have a bar of the same height as 56.9%? Also, why is 56.9% lower than 30.9%? Thesegraphs make it seem as though the perception of students drinking and using opiates is MUCH higherthan the actual use. However, if you look at the representation for drinking alcohol 1-9 times in the last30 days, more people actually drank than what people thought.1

Case Study #2: an ad for Lanacane, an anti-itch cream,found from www.math.wayne.edu. Notice this graph seems toshow Lanacane as superior to competing Hydrocortisone. Butwhat does this graph really show? There are no labels for the xor y-axis and there is no scale. For all we know, the differencecould be a meager value of 0.5 between the two creams. 0.5 whatyou ask? We’re not even sure ourselves, because there are nolabels; therefore, this graph tells us absolutely nothing.Case Study #3: a poll from gravismarketing.com that asks thepreference for governor of the state of Florida during the 2014election. The graph is clearly labeled, the scale is proportionate, andthe percentages add up to 100%. So what could be wrong with thisgraph? Notice that one of the candidates seems to have a minor lead;even though that numbers say they are tied. Hmmm I wonder whomthe creators of this graph were rooting for. Shame on them formisleading the public.Case Study #4: This graph from the Florida Dept. of LawEnforcement, found on Reuters.com, displays the number ofmurders committed using firearms in Florida. An event that ishighlighted on the graph is the enactment of the “Stand YourGround” law of 2005. This law enables individuals to use forceto defend themselves without first attempting to retreat, if theybelieve doing so will prevent death or great bodily harm. Thedata seems to show a sharp dip in gun deaths once this lawwas enacted. Success, correct? WRONG! Look at the y-axis; it isupside down. In fact, the number of murders by firearm had asharp increase right after 2005. Hmm. I wonder what thisgraph was trying to persuade people into believing.2

Case Study #5: This photo was taken of amedia outlet’s portrayal of R.A. Dickey’s pitch speedand can be found on reddit.com. The graph seems toshow the devastating decrease in Dickey’s pitchingspeed. Plus look at his face in this shot, even Dickeylooks upset that he didn’t perform as well as he didthe year before. But let’s read the math graphicshown. There is no scale, no labels for the y-axis. Wesee a bar graph that shows a substantial decline, but the numbers say 77.3 mph to 75.3 mph. A differenceof 2 mph. No doubt, 2 mph is a difference, but a small difference that has been greatly exaggerated in thisgraphic.Case Study #6: This statistic was reported fromCNN, and can be found on Business Insider’s website. Thepoll asks Scotland’s voters if they should be independent.Scotland is currently not independent and is a country ofthe United Kingdom. CNN reports that 52% say no, and58% say yes. Do you see the error? Percentages are of100%, not 110%! Perhaps this was a honest mistake, orperhaps the numbers were fudged on purpose.Case Study #7: This graph was reportedon FOX news, and can be found on BusinessInsider’s website. Where to begin? Let us look atthe axes, ohh no y-axis. And the x-axis, theseare not equal time intervals. Let us look at theline; this shouldn’t even be a straight linebecause this data does not form a consistentslope.3

Case Study #8: This datashows the average monthlytemperature in New Haven, CT.The image is courtesy of YaleUniversity and can be found atwww.statisticshowto.com. Uponfirst glance, the graph islegitimate. The data is shown inthe form of a table and a linegraph. The axes are labeled, andthe points are correctly marked on a proper scale. So what is wrong with this graphic? Notice theconclusion: “Global Warming Out of Control!” Why of course, the data shows the temperature increasing.Typically in the United States, the weather gets warmer from January to July. Perhaps, if the graphshowed the rest of the year, we could get a better image of the monthly temperature. A mathematicianwould not use such data to make any determinations about global warming due to the obvious lack ofcompleteness in the graph.There are many more case studies we could have reviewed, and there will continue to bemisleading graphs that circulate the media. In fact, many media outlets are known for their outright bias;some are known for their conservative views, while others are known for their liberal views. Regardlessof the view you hold, or the media sources you tend to pay more attention to, we must be diligent inanalyzing information that comes our way. Question everything! Otherwise, we can easily be taken forfools.So why do we need to learn about statistics, about histograms, line charts, box plots, dot plots, andscatter plots? The more you learn, the more you know; the more you can think for yourself. Math is allaround us, we see and use it on a daily basis in the real world whether we realize it or not. Challengeyourself to examine every graph you see for inconsistency. Good graphs have descriptive titles, clearlylabeled axes, proper scales, and correct placement of data. Happy math reading!4

Directions: Discuss the errors of each case study from the article, and then summarize the article as a whole.Case Study #1Case Study #2Case Study #3Case Study #4 Math Byrd 20175

Case Study #5Case Study #6Case Study #7Case Study #8Article Summary Math Byrd 20176

Math is all around us, we see and use it on a daily basis in the real world whether we realize it or not. Challenge yourself to examine every graph you see for inconsistency. Good graphs have descriptive titles, clearly labeled axes, proper scales, and correc

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