Read the scale before the story

By Maths in the wild · myAudience

myAudience · AI-generated illustration · Original generated illustration; not documentary evidence

Two charts can show the same values and feel very different when their vertical scales differ. Before deciding that something doubled, read the labels, units and baseline. A graph represents a relationship, not a verdict. Try plotting the costs 3, 5, 7 and 9 on paper; changing the scale alters its appearance, but it does not alter the two-unit increase per hour.