Concept

Interpret Bar Graphs – A bar graph is a visual way of showing information in which we represent quantities corresponding to different categories by rectangular bars of equal width. The lengths or heights of the rectangular bars compare the quantities in different categories.

Rule

1. The graph must have a title clearly stating what the graph is about. 

2. One axis of the chart must be labeled to show the categories being compared. 

3. The other axis must have a label and a suitable scale to represent the quantity being displayed. 

4. A bar graph can have either vertical bars or horizontal bars.

Example

Jack counted the animals he saw from his window one day. How many fewer cats did he see than crows?

Solution

1. Look at the bottom of the graph, which shows the types of animals. Locate the “crows” and “cats” labels. 

2. Use the numbers on the left and the bars above each animal to determine how many of each he saw outside his window. 

He saw 5 cats and 15 crows. 

3. To find out how many fewer cats than crows, subtract the number of cats from the number of crows.   
15 – 5 =10

Pre-requisite Skills

Addition 
Subtraction