Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Histogram?
When the story is: one continuous measurement and its shape.
When should I avoid Histogram?
Skip it in cases like: bins differ in width, or you are comparing named categories.
Who invented or popularised it?
Karl Pearson, 1891, as a graphical frequency distribution
What does it encode?
count of observations inside each bin
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Histogram encodes values as count of observations inside each bin. Karl Pearson, 1891, as a graphical frequency distribution.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits one continuous measurement and its shape. Skip it when bins differ in width, or you are comparing named categories.
Parts
- Mark — The core mark of Histogram is count of observations inside each bin.
- Scale — The scale must show zero (or a declared break) and units.
- Axis — Axis titles name the variable, not a mood.
- Legend — A legend is weaker than a direct label. Write beside the mark when you can.
- Label — Numbers are optional. If comparison is the job, label the ends only.
- Grid — Keep the grid faint. Data should own the ink.
- Annotation — One annotation sentence. Date the source.
- Frame — A thin frame. Never a 3-D box.
Variants
- Bin chart — Variant 1 of Histogram (Bin chart). Same encoding, different layout.
- Frequency distribution — Variant 2 of Histogram (Frequency distribution). Same encoding, different layout.
- Pearson bins — Variant 3 of Histogram (Pearson bins). Same encoding, different layout.
- Histogram 4 — Variant 4 of Histogram (Histogram 4). Same encoding, different layout.
Labels
- Axis — On Histogram, make Mark readable.
- Legend — On Histogram, make Scale readable.
- Label — On Histogram, make Axis readable.
- Grid — On Histogram, make Legend readable.
- Annotation — On Histogram, make Label readable.
Histogram: honour count of observations inside each bin, and switch when bins differ in width, or you are comparing named categories.