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Quick answers
When should I pick Pie & donut?
When the story is: two to five parts that sum to a meaningful whole.
When should I avoid Pie & donut?
Skip it in cases like: many similar slices, 3-D pie, or comparing two pies.
Who invented or popularised it?
Playfair 1801; Florence Nightingale’s coxcomb is a polar cousin, 1858
What does it encode?
angle (and area) of a circle slice
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.
Pie & donut encodes values as angle (and area) of a circle slice. Playfair 1801; Florence Nightingale’s coxcomb is a polar cousin, 1858.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits two to five parts that sum to a meaningful whole. Skip it when many similar slices, 3-D pie, or comparing two pies.
Use when
- Use when 1 — Use Pie & donut when the story is two to five parts that sum to a meaningful whole.
- Use when 2 — Build the first draft in Excel or Google Sheets, then restyle — do not screenshot.
- Use when 3 — In PowerPoint, one Pie & donut per slide, claim in the title.
- Use when 4 — For lab reports and poster boards, this form works when the question is comparison or process.
- Use when 5 — In Meta, Google and retail print, keep one number visible at thumbnail size.
Avoid when
- Avoid when 1 — Skip Pie & donut in cases like: many similar slices, 3-D pie, or comparing two pies.
- Avoid when 2 — 3-D, dual axes, rainbow scales
- Avoid when 3 — Undated numbers, undated time series
- Avoid when 4 — Four charts on one slide
Audiences
- Work — PowerPoint
- Ads — Meta, Google and retail print
- School — lab reports and poster boards
Pie & donut: honour angle (and area) of a circle slice, and switch when many similar slices, 3-D pie, or comparing two pies.