Question

Deceptive Graphs. In Exercises 17–20, identify how the graph is deceptive.

Subway Fare In 1986, the New York City subway fare cost \(1, and as of this writing, the current cost is \)2.50, so the 1986 price was multiplied by 2.5. In the accompanying graph, the large bill is 2.5 times as tall and 2.5 times as wide as the smaller bill.

Short answer

The graph is deceptive because the actual increase of fare is 2.5 times as compared to 1986. The increased dimensions of the picture for the current subway fare create a wrong picture in the readers’ mind that the cost of the subway fare is 6.5 times more.

Step-by-step solution

Given information

A pictograph depicts the cost of the subway fare in 1986, which was $1 using the smaller bill, and the current cost of the subway fare, which is $2.5 using the larger bill.

The larger picture has dimensions (height and width) that are 2.5 times larger than the dimensions of the smaller picture.

Define a deceptive graph

A deceptive graph is any visual representation of data that is misleading and deviates from the true results.

Identify the deceptive feature of the graph

Visually, the pictures are compared area-wise to estimate the difference between the costs. By observing the graph, it appears that there is a huge difference between the cost of the subway fare in the year 1986 and the current cost of the subway fare due to the area enclosed by the picture.

On increasing the dimensions of the larger bill by 2.5 times more than the smaller bill, the area of the larger bill increases by approximately 6.5 times.

The disparity between the actual scenario and the visual interpretation leads to misleading interpretation for the general reader. Thus, the graph appears deceptive.

Therefore, the dimensions of the larger picture should be increased such that the area becomes 2.5 times the smaller picture and not less/greater than it in order to accurately represent the actual increase in the cost.