Line charts are used to show continuous data over time, since they show trends well. Multiple lines can be shown on a single line chart, or a line can be fit over scattered data to show the best-fit trend, as is often done with data collected from experiments. In most line charts, time is shown on the x-axis and measurements are shown on the y-axis.

Why Use Line Charts?

Because line charts display increases and decreases, line charts are better for showing overall patterns and trends in data than bar charts. Line charts are not as good at showing specific values of data, because the individual data points are harder to spot.

It’s also possible to create a line chart that appears to make data look a certain way, whether by using inconsistent scales on the axes, or by comparing two charts that use different scales for each line chart.

Need a little help creating a line chart? Contact Visually today for a quote.

Line Chart Example

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by gmz.