Which graph is used to display the distribution of a continuous variable?

Which graph is used to display the distribution of a continuous variable?

• A. Bar Chart
• B. Scattergram
• C. Histogram
• D. Line graph

Answer: (C)

To show the distribution of a continuous variable, you would use a histogram. A histogram groups data into adjacent bins and counts how many observations fall into each bin, giving a clear picture of the data’s shape, spread, and central tendency. It reveals features like skewness, whether the data are unimodal or multimodal, and how spread out the values are. For example, heights in a class might cluster around a common height with tails on either side, and a histogram would make that pattern visible. Bar charts, in contrast, are for categorical data and use separate, distinct categories with gaps between bars, which isn’t appropriate for a distribution of a continuous variable. Scattergrams show the relationship between two variables, not the distribution of a single one. Line graphs depict changes over an ordered variable (like time), connecting points with lines. These other graphs don’t illustrate the distribution in the same way a histogram does.

To show the distribution of a continuous variable, you would use a histogram. A histogram groups data into adjacent bins and counts how many observations fall into each bin, giving a clear picture of the data’s shape, spread, and central tendency. It reveals features like skewness, whether the data are unimodal or multimodal, and how spread out the values are. For example, heights in a class might cluster around a common height with tails on either side, and a histogram would make that pattern visible.

Bar charts, in contrast, are for categorical data and use separate, distinct categories with gaps between bars, which isn’t appropriate for a distribution of a continuous variable. Scattergrams show the relationship between two variables, not the distribution of a single one. Line graphs depict changes over an ordered variable (like time), connecting points with lines. These other graphs don’t illustrate the distribution in the same way a histogram does.