How to Make a Pie Chart From a Table

A pie chart takes raw data and shows the percentage of the data that each category takes up using a circular graph. The circle is cut into slices depending on how much or how little the category take up of the whole. For example, if a category took up 60 percent, it would have a larger slice than a category that took up only 20 percent. You may want to use a pie chart to show the percentages of students who received different letter grades on a test, the percentage of a company's budget that goes towards paying various expenses or the percentage of throws a quarterback makes to each receiver. To make a pie chart, you need a table of data.

Things You'll Need

• Protractor
• Compass

Instructions

1. Determine the total number of all the categories listed on the table. For example, if you use a table that shows how many students got each letter grade to make a pie chart, you need to know the total number of students entered in the table.

2. Divide the amount in each category by the total amount from Step 1. For example, if 20 out of 50 students got As, you would divide 20 by 50 to find that 40 percent of the students got A's. Repeat this for each category.

3. Determine the size of the pie slice that each category will get by multiplying the percentage by 3.6 to find the number of degrees. For example, the slice representing students who earned A's would be 144 degrees out of the 360 degree circle.

4. Use a compass to draw a circle. Then draw a line from the top of the circle to center.

5. Use a protractor to measure the appropriate angle in the pie chart. Draw the first slice from the line drawn in Step 4 from the top of the circle to the center. For example, you would measure 144 degrees from the line and then draw another line from the center to the outside of the circle to denote the slice that represents students who got A's on the test.

References

• Concordia.ca: Pie Chart
• National Center for Education Statistics: Pie Chart