DATA ANALYSIS AND
VISUALIZATION
• BY SENANU COFFIE
• GRADE 8C1
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Understand what data analysis is, why visualization is
key, how to choose advanced charts, and how to interpret
visual patterns like trends and outliers.
WHAT IS DATA ANALYSIS?
• Definition: The process of inspecting, cleaning,
transforming, and modeling data to find useful
information, suggest conclusions, and support informed
decision-making.
WHY VISUALIZATION IS IMPORTANT
• The human brain processes images much faster than
text/tables. Visualization simplifies complex data, makes
patterns easy to spot, and helps communicate findings
quickly and clearly.
TYPES OF CHARTS (OVERVIEW)
• Charts are tools:
[Link]/Pie for Comparison
2. Line for Trends over time
3. Scatter/Histogram for Relationships and Distribution.
ADVANCED CHARTING: SCATTER PLOTS
• Used to show the relationship (correlation) between two
different numerical variables. Each point represents one
data observation.
ADVANCED CHARTING: LINE GRAPHS
WITH TRENDLINES
• Pie charts are only good for showing parts of a whole
(percentages) when there are few categories (max 5-6).
ADVANCED CHARTING: PIE CHARTS VS
BAR CHARTS
• Pie charts are only good for showing parts of a whole
(percentages) when there are few categories (max 5-6). Bar
charts are always better for comparing the magnitude
(size/value) of different categories.
ADVANCED CHARTING: HISTOGRAMS
• Used to show the distribution of a single numerical variable
by grouping values into "bins" and showing how many data
points fall into each bin. They show the shape of the data.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHART FOR THE
DATA
• Time-based data? Use a Line Graph.
• Comparing categories? Use a Bar Chart.
• Showing a relationship? Use a Scatter Plot.
• Showing how data is spread out? Use a Histogram.
INTERPRETING PATTERNS (TRENDS,
OUTLIERS, COMPARISONS)
• Trends: A general direction of movement (up or down).
• Outliers: Data points far away from the rest.
• Comparisons: Noting which category is highest/lowest or if
variables relate.
EXAMPLE DATASET AND CHART
INTERPRETATION
• Example: A Scatter Plot showing study time vs. exam score.
• Interpretation: "The chart shows a positive trend
(correlation): as study time increases, exam scores generally
increase."
COMMON MISTAKES IN DATA
VISUALIZATION
1. Truncated Axis: Starting the y-axis (value axis) at a
number other than zero can exaggerate differences.
2. Too much data: Too many lines or categories make the
chart unreadable and confusing.
REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS
• Weather Forecasting: Analyzing sensor data and
visualizing it with temperature maps.
• Business Intelligence: Tracking sales trends to decide
which products to order more of.
• Sports: Analyzing athlete performance stats over time.
SUMMARY & REFLECTION QUESTIONS
• Summary: Data analysis turns raw data into insights;
visualization turns those insights into clear, actionable
images.
• Questions:
1. What is the danger of an outlier?
2. Why should a bar chart usually start the y-axis at zero?