LearnElementary MathMeasurement and data

Reading bar graphs

Read the height, then answer what's asked.

Lesson 3 of 3

Elementary Math: Measurement and data

A bar graph compares amounts. The label says what each bar is, and the height says how many. Always look at the scale first, because it doesn't always count by ones.

Books read each day. This scale counts by 2.

Work through it

Using the graph, how many more books were read Thursday than Wednesday?

Read each bar. and

How many more means subtract.

How many books in all?

In all means add every bar.

Add.

Watch out for this

Counting grid lines rather than reading the scale.

If each line stands for 2, then 3 lines up means 6.

The short version
Find the bar, read across to the scale, then do any math the question asks for.

Your turn