Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries

# 2.1 Nuclear power stations

The first data set is a very simple one. Table 1 shows the number of nuclear power stations in various countries throughout the world before the end of the cold war (that is, prior to 1989). The names of the countries listed are those that pertained at the time the data were collected.

## Table 1 Nuclear power stations

Country | Number
--- | ---
Canada | 22
Czechoslovakia | 13
East Germany | 10
France | 52
Japan | 43
South Korea | 9
Soviet Union | 73
Spain | 10
Sweden | 12
UK | 41
USA | 119
West Germany | 23

You could scarcely have a more straightforward table than this, and yet it is by no means clear what is the most meaningful and appealing way to show the information.

OpenLearn - Exploring data: graphs and numerical summaries
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