Histogram โ
Histograms show frequency distribution: how often a value is present in a data set. Each bar covers a range of values, and the bar's height is defined by how many data points are in that range.
The shape of the distribution and the presence of outliers, can give you a lot of information from the dataset, and even provide an indication on the quality of the data set.
Usage guidelines โ
When to use โ
Questions you can answer
- What's the distribution of this data set?
- What's the shape of that distribution?
- Are there any outliers?
- What are the most frequent values?
When not to use โ
- If the data is distributed in categories, like countries, instead of a continuum, like policy density or premium amount, use a bar chart instead.
- If you want to see how a category evolves over time, a line chart is a better choice.