Broken Line Graphs - Cycle 3

A broken line graph shows the results of a survey as a broken line that changes over time (months, days, hours, etc.).

Example:

The title indicates that this broken line graph represents the number of book club participants from January to April.

In this graph, the horizontal axis shows the time in months. Data was collected once a month from January and April.

The vertical axis shows the number of book club participants.

The intervals between the numbers on the vertical axis of this broken line graph are + 2. The horizontal axis increases one month at a time. (+1)

You can see the position of the point for Monday corresponds to 3 on the vertical axis. This lets you know that William ate 3 fruits on Monday.

The position of the point for Sunday corresponds to 2 on the vertical axis. This means that William ate 2 fruits on Sunday.

The vertical axis normally starts at 0. However, it is possible to make a larger jump between 0 and the first value by placing an “axis break.”

Example:

What was the warmest day this week?

Find the point that is the highest on the broken line, since this represents the warmest temperature. The point that is highest represents a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.
Look at the horizontal axis to identify the day with the highest point. The day corresponding to the highest point is Thursday.

The warmest day was Thursday.

What was the temperature on Wednesday?

Find Wednesday on the horizontal axis.
Find the point associated with Wednesday.
Look at the vertical axis to identify the temperature corresponding to the point. If the point is equally distanced between the 4 and the 6, you know the temperature is 5 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, the temperature was 5 degrees Celsius.