Question

The article "Rinse Out Your Mouth" (Associated Press, March 29,2006 ) summarized results from a survey of 1001 adults on the use of profanity. When asked "How many times do you use swear words in conversations?" \(46 \%\) responded a few or more times per week, \(32 \%\) responded a few times a month or less, and \(21 \%\) responded never. Use the given information to construct a segmented bar chart.

Short answer

The segmented bar chart would have three segments corresponding to the three given categories where 'A few or more times per week' constitutes the longest segment, 'A few times a month or less' would be the second longest, and 'Never' would be the shortest. The length of each segment is proportional to its corresponding percentage.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Distribution

Identify the three categories given and their corresponding percentages: 'A few or more times per week' is \(46\%\), 'A few times a month or less' is \(32\%\) and 'Never' is \(21\%\). No category has been left out as these percentages sum to \(100\%\).

Create the Base of the Bar Chart

Draw a rectangular base representing the total survey responses or \(100\%\). The rectangle can be of any length, typically chosen for convenience or aesthetics. Let's assume that the length of the rectangle is 10 units.

Determine Segment Lengths

Since each segment's length is proportional to each category's percentage, calculate the lengths accordingly. The length for 'A few or more times per week' is \(0.46*10 = 4.6\) units, for 'A few times a month or less' is \(0.32*10 = 3.2\) units and for 'Never' is \(0.21*10 = 2.1\) units.

Draw the Segments

Starting from the left end of the rectangle, draw the first segment, 'A few or more times per week', to the right with a length of 4.6 units. Then continue with the segment for 'A few times a month or less' with a length of 3.2 units, and finally, draw the last segment 'Never' with a length of 2.1 units. Each segment should be marked with the corresponding category name.

Review the Bar Chart

Check to ensure that the segments total to the full length of the rectangle and that they are labelled correctly.