Question

the bar graph shows the number of participants in a given age range at summer camp. is the display misleading? explain.
yes, the intervals are not constant.
yes, the scale does not start at zero.
no, the intervals are constant.
no, the scale starts at zero.

Explanation:

• For a bar - graph, if the intervals (age ranges here) are not constant, it can be misleading. In this case, the age intervals \(4 - 6\), \(7 - 9\), \(10 - 12\), \(13 - 15\) all have a width of \(2\) (e.g., \(6−4 = 2\), \(9 - 7=2\), \(12 - 10 = 2\), \(15 - 13=2\)).
• The scale on the y - axis (frequency) starts at \(10\). When the scale does not start at zero, it can exaggerate the differences between the bars. For example, if the scale started at zero, the visual difference between the bars would be less “extreme” compared to when it starts at \(10\).

Answer:

Yes, the scale does not start at zero.