How to Make Double Bar Graphs for Free
Double bar graphs are used when graphing data that has two variables. A number of programs, such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, are capable of making charts and graphs, but they are often part of expensive software packages. Double bar graphs are fairly easy to make by hand with just a couple supplies you can find lying around the house.
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Instructions
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Making a Double Bar Graph By Hand
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1
Draw a rectangle that is large enough to fit the data you want to graph. Use a straight edge to keep your lines straight. A ruler, driver's license, or any other straight surface can be used as a straight edge.
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2
Label the bottom edge of the rectangle. This is your horizontal axis.
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Label the left edge of your rectangle. This is the vertical axis.
For example, if you wanted to graph the number of men and women that shop each month, you would label the bottom edge something like "Month" and the left edge "Number of People."
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4
Find the maximum value for the data you have, and put that number at the top of your vertical axis. This will allow you to determine how your vertical scale should be labeled. The rest of the vertical axis should be labeled with numbers equally spaced and at equal intervals.
For example, if you found that the highest number of people that shop in the year is 100, you would put that on the top of your vertical axis. If you chose to indicate intervals of 10, you would label the next lowest point on your axis "90," and continue labeling your vertical axis in intervals of 10 down to zero at the bottom.
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5
Label categories below your horizontal axis. Start at the left edge and continue to the right. In this example, your categories would be the months of the year.
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6
Draw a bar for your first category that starts at the horizontal axis and continues until it reaches the height of the value of your data.
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Draw a second bar next to the first. The second bar should match the data for your second variable. Draw diagonal lines, or shade the second bar to make it different from your first. Repeat this step until you have covered all your categories.
For example, if you found that 50 men and 40 women in your data shopped during January, your first bar would go as high as 50, and your second bar would go to 40.
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Create a key that tells which bar represents which variable.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't want to draw the graph by hand, you can use the online tool at shodor.com to make a double bar graph online. This open office program is free to download and can also be used to make graphs.
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Resources
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