Table of Contents

Last modified on November 9th, 2022

chapter outline

 

Histogram vs Bar Graph

Histogram and bar graph are two ways of graphically displaying a set of data in the form of bars. The most apparent difference between the two visually is that bars in the histogram are arranged continually (without any gaps). In contrast, bar graphs are not adjacent to each other.

Let us learn the key differences between a bar chart and a histogram and when to use them:

BasisHistogramBar Graph
1. When to UseTo show the frequency of numerical data and distribution of variablesTo compare different categories of variables
2. Types of Variables (data) UsedContinuous (non-discrete) variablesQualitative dataDiscrete variablesCategorical data
3. Spaces with BarsAbsentPresent
4. Width of the Bars (Bin)It may not be same the alwaysAlways same
5. Reordering of BarsNot possiblePossible
6. Grouping of ElementsDone, thus considered as rangesNot done, as they are taken as individual entities

Example

Let us consider an example to understand the concept better.

Histogram vs Bar Graph

In the above diagram, the left panel shows the histogram, and the right panel shows the bar graph. Note that the y-axis shows the number of variables or data in both cases, while the x-axis can be anything. The only difference being the data in the histogram is continuous (non-discrete), while in the bar graph, it is discrete.

Last modified on November 9th, 2022

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