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Scatter plot in 1880: 3-D helps

Scatter plot decides what is being compared in 1880 under “3-D helps.” The figure that must stay on the axis is 3. Drawing it larger does not create a unit. Look first for a cut axis and a missing key. Variant 2 of Scatter plot (Correlation chart). Same encoding, different layout.

When the story is: correlation, outliers and clusters in two measures. Skip it in cases like: one axis is not quantitative, or time is the real story. John Herschel plotted orbits; Galton’s 1880s regressions made the form famous position of points on two quantitative axes Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.

Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present. Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint; export SVG/PDF. Do not rely on hue alone. Label directly and check greyscale. Scatter plot: honour position of points on two quantitative axes, and switch when one axis is not quantitative, or time is the real story.

The core mark of Scatter plot is position of points on two quantitative axes. correlation, outliers and clusters in two measures The eye compares length and position more accurately than area. PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry.

Read Scatter plot as 1880, “3-D helps,” and 3. A bar with no unit is not those three.1880

Figures to keep

Year of the chart
1880
Axis figure
3
Chart
Scatter plot
How to read it
3-D helps

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