Misleading Graphs
by Anonymous
Change the vertical axis start and the time range to see the same data puff up to look 7 times bigger.
About this app
Misleading Graphs is an interactive data-literacy activity that demonstrates how the same numbers can tell very different stories when a chart’s vertical axis or time period is changed. Explore four teams’ sticker data by adjusting the axis start, cropping the months shown, and identifying the visual tricks used. It is designed to help children and adults check charts more critically.
Use cases
- Teachers introducing graph interpretation and data literacy
- Elementary students learning to question chart design
- Families exploring misleading statistics together
- Adults practicing critical thinking when reading reports and media charts
Features
- Compare charts with the vertical axis starting at different values
- See how axis cropping can make small differences look more than five times larger
- Choose start and end months to make the same data look rising, falling, or flat
- View the full 12-month trend for comparison
- Identify whether a chart uses a cut axis, a cropped period, both, or neither
- Progress through missions with reset and next controls