Graphs allow us to display or read information about many similar items at one time. This allows the reader to easily compare similar information to help make a decision. In this activity, you will analyze information in a graph.

Let's take a look at an example. Say a person was keeping track of the number of calories they were taking in each day. You could write down your daily calories on a piece of paper for each day, but then you are flipping back and forth between pages to make a comparison. An easier way is to make a graph with all of the information in it.

Instead of having seven pieces of paper to look at (one for each day of the week), you have all the information you need in one graph. You can then make comparisons between different days. You can easily see which day you took in the most calories and which day you took in the least calories. The most was on Friday and the least was on Monday.

Look at what worked each day and what didn't. Why were you so much higher on Friday than on Monday? Perhaps it was because you went out for a nice dinner on Friday after a hard week at work.

You can also use graphs to see where you are spending your money. This will allow you to decide if you need to make any changes in the way you spend your money.

Let's take a look at your spending in February. Before the month started, you planned to only spend $70 on snacks. By looking at the graph, you can see that you were not successful, because you spent $80 on snacks!

  Self-check!