Page 48 - TX_Marketing 2_M1_v2

Bar Graphs vs. Line Graphs

$350,000 $300,000
$300,000
$250,000 $200,000 $200,000
$200,000 $150,000 Total Sales
$150,000 $200,000 $100,000
$100,000 $50,000
$50,000 $20,000
$0

A bar graph is able to illustrate progression over time as well. When line graphs and

bar graphs are showing progression (especially over time), they are very similar, if
not the same. The image above indicates how we can fill in the space underneath
many line graphs. We could then square them off into bars, like this:

$350,000
$300,000
$300,000
$250,000
$200,000 $200,000 $200,000
$200,000
$150,000 Total Sales
$150,000
$100,000
$100,000
$50,000
$50,000 $20,000
$0
January February March April May June July August

That would turn our line graph into a bar graph, illustrating that in this case, as in
many cases, they are interchangeable.

Note: While this is not of primary concern to us today, understand that not all line
graphs are fundamentally the same as bar graphs. For example, you cannot

arbitrarily fill in portions of a graph under a mathematical function if your point is
only to graph the function.

TX Marketing II: Negotiation Techniques 47