The Pies Have It (Bad)
Something I referenced earlier today in a conversation, which I’m sure I’ll be referencing many, many times in the future:
“Tables are clearly the best way to show exact numerical values, although the entries can also be arranged in semi-graphical form. Tables are preferable to graphics for many small data sets. A table is nearly always better than a dumb pie chart. … Given their low data-density and failure to order numbers along a visual dimension, pie charts should never be used.”
— Edward R. Tufte,
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information,
Graphics Press, 1983, p.178.
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