Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries
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# 3.2 Pie charts: Nuclear power stations

Figure 2 shows a pie chart of the number of nuclear power stations in countries where nuclear power is used, based on the data from Table 1.

Figure 2 Nuclear power stations (a pie chart)

It is not so easy to extract meaningful information from this more detailed diagram. You can pick out the main users of nuclear power, and that is about all.

When trying to construct pie charts for data with many categories, a common ploy of the graphic designer is to produce a pie chart which displays the main contributors and lumps together the smaller ones. However, the process inevitably involves loss of information.

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OpenLearn - Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries
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