Comparison > Over Time > Many Periods > Non-cyclical Data > Single Line | Difficulty: Easy
Comparison > Over Time > Few Periods > Many Categories > Multiple Lines | Difficulty: Easy
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→ Show Me → Lines
WHAT IS A LINE CHART?
A line chart (aka line plot, line graph) uses points connected by line segments from left to right to demonstrate changes in value. The horizontal axis depicts a continuous progression, often that of time, while the vertical axis reports values for a metric of interest across that progression.
WHEN TO USE A LINE CHART
You will use a line chart when you want to emphasize changes in values for one variable (plotted on the vertical axis) for continuous values of a second variable (plotted on the horizontal)
Multiple lines can also be plotted in a single line chart to compare the trend between series. A common use case for this is to observe the breakdown of the data across different subgroups. The ability to plot multiple lines also provides the line chart a special use case where it might not usually be selected.
Source: Chartio
EXCEL
INSERT > CHARTS > INSERT LINE OR AREA CHART > 2-D LINE
For multiple lines:
select more than one numeric variable to be the y-axis (also known as legend entries or series)
Chart Chooser 