Reading and Comparing Bar Graphs
Solve comparison, sum, and difference problems using information presented in a bar graph
What a learner can do afterwards
- Read a line graph of temperature over a week and identify the warmest day
- Find the difference in rainfall between two months from a line graph
- Explain what a rising/falling line means on a time-series graph
The lesson
You have read bar graphs before, where separate bars show different amounts. A line graph works differently: a dot is placed for each day, week, or month, and a line connects the dots. The line shows how a number changes over time, like temperature going up and down through the week.
A line graph can show rainfall too. April had 2 cm of rain, May had 5 cm, and June had 9 cm. To find how much more it rained in June than in April, read both points and subtract: 9 minus 2 equals 7. June had 7 more centimeters of rain than April.
Read a line graph from left to right. When the line climbs, the number is growing. When it drops, the number is falling. When it stays flat, nothing changed.
Read each point on the line, compare the highest and lowest, and subtract to find the difference between any two points.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.