From: allenroy (allenroy@peoplepc.com)
Date: Thu Oct 02 2003 - 17:43:05 EDT
John W Burgeson wrote:
> Allen commented:>>The way I understand the graph is that it displays the
> amount of C14 in some coal samples as a percent of modern carbon
> (meaning C12) . So 2 samples (as indicated on the graph) had the
> C14/C12 ratio of 0.1 percent (0.1%). Or 1 C14 atoms per 1000
> C12 atoms -- 1 C14 / 1000 C12. That seems pretty straight forward to
> me.>>
>
> Tufte (read his book) argues that data like this is best displayed in a
> simple table. As a graph it is unnecessarily more complex than the data
> deserves. The complexity, of course, makes it look "more scientific" to
> the lay reader.
Not having read Tufte, but knowing that I am a visual person, I'll take a graph
any day over a table of numbers. It has nothing to do with me thinking it is
"more scientific." It is just easier to see and comprehend graphics than just
numbers. It seems to me that things which are considered "more scientific"
often come across as tables of numbers and line drawings rather than good
graphics.
Allen
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