Magnitudes

This chapter deals with the graphical representation of magnitudes over a set of classes, where classes are identified by a categorical variable (e.g., country, province, gender) or a numerical discrete one (e.g., year). Magnitudes indicate the level of some character of a class; hence magnitudes are expressed as a numerical, continuous or discrete variable—for instance population, gross domestic product, area, etc. The bar chart and its variations (paired bar charts, stacked bar charts, and multiple bar charts) are the mainstay in this context and are all presented in this chapter. Another option for displaying magnitudes—packed bubble charts-is also discussed.