Data Science Data Visualization and Communication Questions and Answers Flashcards

Which type of chart is most appropriate for displaying the distribution of a single continuous variable?

Answer: Histogram

A histogram bins continuous values into intervals and displays their frequency, making it ideal for showing distributions.

What does the term 'data-ink ratio' refer to in data visualization?

Answer: The proportion of ink used to display actual data versus non-data elements

Coined by Edward Tufte, the data-ink ratio measures how much of a graphic's ink is devoted to presenting data rather than decoration.

When presenting model performance results to a non-technical business audience, which approach is generally most effective?

Answer: Translate metrics into business impact such as revenue or cost savings

Non-technical stakeholders understand business outcomes better than statistical metrics, so framing results in terms of impact is most effective.

In a scatter plot, what does a strong negative correlation between two variables look like?

Answer: Points trend downward from left to right

A negative correlation means as one variable increases the other decreases, producing a downward-sloping pattern of points.

What is the primary purpose of using a logarithmic scale on a chart axis?

Answer: To display data that spans several orders of magnitude more clearly

A logarithmic scale compresses large ranges so that data spanning multiple orders of magnitude can be visualized without losing detail in smaller values.

Which visualization technique is best suited for showing how a total value is broken down into parts over time?

Answer: Stacked area chart

A stacked area chart displays both the total and its component parts across a time axis, making compositional changes over time easy to see.