Comparing Summaries of a Variable
overview 

Use these graphs to compare summary values or individual data values. For example, you can compare:

·    Mean quarterly sales of each of your company's products, by region

·    The viscosity of paint produced at your company's plant, by method of mixing

Graph

Description/Uses

Boxplot

 

Use a boxplot to assess and compare sample distribution characteristics and to screen for outliers.

By default, a boxplot shows the median, interquartile range, range, and outliers for each group. Display options include symbols for the mean and boxes for the median confidence interval.

 

Interval Plot

 

Use an interval plot to assess and compare means and confidence interval. The confidence intervals allow you to assess the differences between group means in relation to within-group variance.

Display options include error bars and median symbols.

Individual
Value Plot

 

Use an individual value plot to assess and compare individual data points.

This graph plots each data point for each group, making it easy to spot outliers and see distribution shape.

Display options include symbols for the mean and the median.

Line Plot

Use a line plot to compare response patterns for two or more groups. Minitab can calculate summary statistics from raw data or you can plot summary values from a table in your worksheet.

Bar Chart

 

Use a bar chart to compare a summary statistic, such as the mean, for groups of data. Minitab can calculate summary statistics from raw data or you can plot summary values from a table in your worksheet. (For count data, see Assessing Distributions of Counts.)

Pie Chart

 

Use a pie chart to assess the relative contributions of each group relative to the whole. Minitab produces a pie chart from a table of summary values in your worksheet. (For counts of raw data, see Assessing Distributions of Counts.)