A pictogram uses little pictures to show data. A bar chart uses bars. Both help us compare things at a glance.
Why this matters: A picture or a bar tells the story faster than a long list of numbers. Newspapers and reports use them all the time.
Pictograms and the key
Every pictogram has a key. The key tells you what one picture is worth. Here one apple picture stands for 2 apples eaten.
| Day | Apples (🍎 = 2) | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 🍎🍎🍎 | 6 |
| Tuesday | 🍎🍎 | 4 |
| Wednesday | 🍎🍎🍎🍎 | 8 |
To read a pictogram, count the pictures, then multiply by the key. Wednesday has 4 apples, and 4 × 2 = 8.
Bar charts
A bar chart has an axis going up the side with numbers on it. The taller the bar, the bigger the number. This chart shows goals scored by four children.
| Child | Goals |
|---|---|
| Aisha | 5 |
| Ben | 3 |
| Chloe | 8 |
| Dev | 6 |
How many more or fewer?
To compare two bars, subtract the smaller from the bigger. Chloe scored 8 and Ben scored 3, so Chloe scored 8 − 3 = 5 more goals than Ben.