Bar Graph: Horizontal bar graph and its types

Juliet D'cruz

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A bar graph is a chart or graphical presentation of the information, quantities, or numbers where the data, quantities, or numbers are displayed using bars or strips. Bar graphs are used to compare multiple categories of data by utilising numbers, frequencies, or other measurements.

Bar Graphs show category data in a visual format. Categorical data is the division of information into distinct categories, such as months of the year, age groupings, and national interests. They are usually qualitative categories.The chart’s bars can be placed in any sequence. Moreover the graphical representation of data is done in four different forms like:

  • Vertical Bar Graph
  • Horizontal Bar Graph
  • Grouped Bar Graph
  • Stacked Bar Graph

Before moving forward you must have a basic understanding of bar graph plotting and what is specified on x-axis and y-axis.To begin there are two parallel lines that cross at 0 on a graph. The data representation of the y-axis is vertical, whereas the x-axis is horizontal. Choose a standard bar width and space between bars along the horizontal axis, then write the names of the data objects whose values will be marked.

X-Axis

An x-axis and a y-axis are used in bar graphs. The x-axis in most bar graphs runs horizontally (flat). The bars in bar graphs are sometimes made sideways, as in the graph below. Then there are numbers on the x-axis that reflect different time periods or names of the things being compared. The x-axis in these graphs contains state names.

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Y-Axis

The y-axis in most bar graphs runs vertically (us and down). The bars in bar graphs are sometimes made sideways, like in the graph to the left. The y-axis is then horizontal (flat). The amount of stuff being measured is usually represented by numbers on the y-axis. The y-axis is normally counted from zero and can be divided into as many equal segments as desired.    

Horizontal Bar Graph

Horizontal bar graphs show data in a horizontal format. It’s a graph with horizontally painted bars. On the vertical axis, the data categories are displayed, while the data values are displayed on the horizontal x- and y-axes. Each bar is the same length as the associated value for the data category, and they all run from left to right.

To design a horizontal bar graph, start by deciding on a scale that is acceptable for the data values. Then, on the vertical axis, label the data categories, and on the horizontal axis, label the values. Thereafter, each data category’s bands should be drawn. Finally, the chart’s title is determined, as well as a reference to the scale utilised. 

Horizontal Bar Graph Vs. Vertical Bar Graph

The fundamental difference between a horizontal bar graph and a vertical bar graph is that the x-axis and y-axis are inverted in a column graph. This is a unique feature in a number of circumstances. A horizontal bar graph has the advantage of making labels easy to see. Furthermore, in the case of a huge data collection, they are better suited for presentation on a mobile device.

When compared to vertical bar charts, horizontal bar graphs have the following advantages: Labels are easier to read, and they function better in a narrow layout with a large dataset. 

Types of Horizontal bar graphs

Similar to the simple bar graph, the horizontal bar graph also includes three main formats to have a clear and concise representation of the data. The three types of horizontal bar graph are as follows:

  1. Simple Horizontal Bar Graph
  2. Double Horizontal Bar Graph
  3. Multiple Horizontal Bar Graph

The three kinds of horizontal bar graph representation are basically quite similar. However, the difference is merely in the number of data being presented. For example, a simple bar graph will have data of seven boys participating in Physics olympiad; double horizontal bar graph will have representation of number of boys and girls participation in Physics olympiad; and lastly the multiple bar graph will have a view of different sections’ performance in the Physics olympiad.    

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