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Create A Graph Classic

Line Graph

There are all kinds of charts and graphs, some are easy to understand while others can be pretty tricky. There are many different types because each one has a fairly specific use. Line graphs can be used to show how something changes over time. They have an x-axis (horizontal) and a y-axis (vertical). Usually, the x-axis has numbers for the time period, and the y-axis has numbers for what is being measured. Line graphs can be used when you're plotting data that has peaks (ups) and valleys (downs), or that was collected in a short time period.

An example using real education data would be if you wanted to show how the total U.S. public school student membership (enrollment) changed over a few years. If you want to see what this would look like click on the link "Click here to fill in example using education data from NCES," that you will find on the next page.

You are now ready to create your own line graph...

Example of a Line Graph Click Here To Create a Line Graph