Line Graph: A Graph is an essential topic in schools as a graph represents the data in the form of visualization which makes the raw data understandable in an easy way. Examples of graphs are bar graphs, histograms, pie charts, line charts, etc. Here in this article, we will learn about Line Graphs including its definition, types, and various examples which will help us learn how to plot the line graph.

A line graph is also known as a line chart or line plot. It shows the information that changes over time. Line graphs are used in many fields to analyze data, making them easier to understand.

What is a Line Graph?

A line Graph is nothing but a way to represent two or more variables in the form of line or curves to visualize the concept and helps to understand it in a better form. It displays the data that changes continuously concerning time. In a line graph data points are connected with an edge and data points are represented either with points.

Line Graph Definition

A graph or line chart is a graphical representation of the data that displays the relationship between two or more variables concerning time. It is made by connecting data points with straight-line segments.

Parts of Line Graph

Parts of the line graph include the following:

• Title: It is nothing but the title of the graph drawn.
• Axes: The line graph contains two axes i.e. X-axis and Y-axis.
• Labels: The name given to the x-axis and y-axis.
• Line: It is the line segment that is used to connect two or more data points.
• Point: It is nothing but a point given at each segment.

Learn more about Point, Lines, and Plane.

How to make a line graph?

To make a line graph we need to use the following steps:

1. Determine the variables: The first and foremost step to creating a line graph is to identify the variables you want to plot on the X-axis and Y-axis.
2. Choose appropriate scales: Based on your data, determine the appropriate scale.
3. Plot the points: Plot the individual data points on the graph according to the given data.
4. Connect the points: After plotting the points, you have to connect those points with a line.
5. Label the axes: Add labels to the X-axis and Y-axis. You can also include the unit of measurement.
6. Add Title: After completing the graph you should provide a suitable title.

How to Read a line graph?

To read a line graph you need to follow the below given steps:

1. Understand the axes: First, you need to understand the X-axis and Y-axis of the graph.
2. Estimate the scale: Look at the values marked along each axis to determine the scale.
3. Estimate the values of data points: Look at the data points on the graph to estimate the values on the graph.
4. Analyze the pattern: Identify the pattern and analyze it.
5. Conclude: Based on the above step find conclusions.

Example of Line Graph

Let us understand the concept with the help of an example.

Example: Draw a line graph for the given data

No. of Days	1	2	3	4
Absentees	5	10	15	10

Answer:

The above diagram shows a line graph between No. of days and the number of absentees.

Types of Line Graph

Let us discuss the types of line graphs:

• Simple Line Graph
• Multiple Line Graph
• Compound Line Graph

Simple Line Graph

It is the most common type of line graph in which a single line represents the relationship between two variables over time. The above diagram is an example of a basic line graph.

Multiple Line Graph

It is the type of line graph in which we can represent two or more lines in a single graph and they can either belong to the same categories or different which makes it easy to make comparisons between them. Multiple line graphs also include a double line graph or we can say that a double line graph is also a multiple line graph.

An example of multiple graphs is shown below:

In the above graph sale of product A and B is shown in the same graph.

Compound Line Graph

It is a type of line graph in which multiple lines or data are combined into a single graph showing different categories or variables. The main aim of a compound line graph is to represent or display the relationship between different variables on a single graph.

A Compound Line graph example is shown below:

Advantages of Line Graph

Some of the advantages of using line graph are listed below:

• It helps to visualize the data.
• It provides a clear overview of the data.
• It becomes easy to make predictions using a line graph.
• It helps to compare the data more easily.

Disadvantages of Line Graph

Some of the disadvantages of line graphs are listed below:

• It is ineffective for complex data.
• It is very difficult to represent non-linear relationships.

Uses of Line Graph

There are various use cases of line graphs, some of these use cases are as follows:

• It is used to visualize the data, which makes raw data understandable easily.
• It is used to compare the data for different categories.
• It becomes easy to make predictions using a line graph.

Articles related to Line Graph:

• Statistics
• Bar Graphs
• Histograms
• Pie Chart

Solved Problems on Line Graph

Problem 1: Draw a line graph for the given data.

Time	6 AM	10 AM	2 PM	6 PM
Temperature (in oC)	35	45	50	40

Solution:

Problem 2: Draw a line graph from the given data and answer the following questions.

Product A	150	125	100	50
Product B	125	150	50	100

(a) In the above graph find in which year the sale of product A is maximum.

(b) Find in which year the sale of product B is the minimum.

(c) Find in which year the sale of products A and B is the same.

Solution:

(a) In 2011, the sale of product A is maximum.

(b) In 2013, the sale of Product B is minimum.

(c) There is no year in which the sale of Product A and B is the same.

Problem 3: Draw a compound line graph for the given data.

	Samsung	Apple	One Plus	Vivo
Quarter 1	7	12	9	17
Quarter 2	32	21	20	25
Quarter 3	52	60	65	70

Solution:

Problem 4: Draw a line graph for the given data

Distance	20	30	35	45
Time	5	10	15	20

Solution:

Problem 5: Draw a line graph for the given data.

Input	1	2	4	5	7
Output	2	5	11	14	20

Solution:

Practice Problems on Line Graph

1. Given the following data points, plot them on a graph and draw the line that connects them.

x	y
1	2
2	4
3	6
4	8
5	10

2. The following line graph shows the temperature (in °C) over a week. Use the graph to answer the questions below.

What was the temperature on Wednesday?

On which day was the highest temperature recorded?

Describe the trend in temperature over the week.

FAQs on Line Graph

What is a Line Graph?

A line Graph is nothing but a way to represent two or more variables in the form of line or curves to visualize the concept and helps to understand it in a better form.

What is the Main Use of a Line Graph?

The main use of a line graph is to compare the data variables and make it easy to understand.

Name the Graphs which are Widely Used.

Based upon different needs some of the most widely used graphs are Bar charts, line charts, histograms, pie charts, etc.

What are the Parts of the Line Graph?

Some key parts of line graphs are:

• Title
• Axes
• Labels
• Line
• Points

How many Axes are there in a Line Graph?

A line graph has two axes: the horizontal axis(X-axis) and the Vertical axis(Y-axis).