Bar Chart

A bar chart, also known as a bar graph, is a diagram consisting of rectangular bars. The length of each bar in a bar chart is proportional to the numerical value it represents. The bars in a bar chart may be positioned vertically or horizontally. When a bar chart has vertical bars, it is also called a column chart. Regardless of whether the bars are horizontal or vertical in position, they are always parallel to each other. A bar chart is a graphical tool mainly used to display discrete data and illustrate relative values in a particular data set. A bar chart is especially useful for spotting a trend or a pattern in a given set of data. For example, a bar chart can be used to plot the gross domestic product of a country over a particular time frame. The vertical axis (y-axis) on the bar chart would illustrate the value of GDP while horizontal axis (x-axis) on the bar chart would indicate the date. The tallest bar in this example bar chart would tell you on which date the country achieve its greatest GDP.