Describing the Graph

Now let’s get into the actual description of this graph of this data.

Remember our goal is to help someone who’s hypothetically on the phone in our meeting visualize what we are seeing.

They can’t see it.

We can see it.

We need to make it clear what it is we’re seeing.

The first sentence just like our previous description class is is very important.

Now we don’t need to use so many adjectives because we want to be as clear and simple as possible but we do need to very clearly state what the relationship is between the Y and the x axis.

That’s probably the most important.

Once we say that then we can go into some trends that we see and we can talk about the shapes the structure of the points on the graph.

So let’s let’s look at it.

This graph shows the relationship between the total fertility rate or children per woman the total fertility rate in countries around the world and the GDP per capita of those countries.

In 2004 there was a sharp drop in the fertility rate of poor countries between 0 and about five thousand dollars.

GDP per capita when the GDP is low the fertility rate tends to be high.

In general wealthy countries tend to have fewer children per woman.

Or we could say have a lower fertility rate.

There are far more countries near the lower end of the graph in terms of GDP and relatively few at the higher end.

We don’t actually have to say that last part.

We could leave it out because if there are the majority in the lower end then that means that there aren’t that many in the higher end.

OK.

Remember there are a few over here in the wealthier countries and a lot of them over here.

OK but sometimes it helps just to be extra clear to state exactly what you’re seeing even if it might be a little redundant.

OK.

Let’s just go through that one more time with a little bit more breakdown.

The graph shows that means this is what I’m looking at.

This is what it’s telling me.

We can’t say tells we have to say shows shows.

OK.

You could say I can see on the graph.

But I think this is probably a better way.

The graph shows keyword there.

The relationship.

That’s the best word to use when we’re talking about two things.

You and me we’re talking about the relationship between us.

We’re talking about a Y in an X we’re talking about the relationship between the Y and the X relationship means they have some connection to each other.

Right.

It suggests that they’re not completely independent.

That means if you change one you change the other.

That’s what relationship means.

Doesn’t just mean that I’m putting them on this graph it means hey there’s something here a correlation that we can talk about we can discuss.

OK.

This graph shows the relationship between the total fertility rate.

Now if you want to say the number of children per woman.

That’s OK.

You can say the number of children per woman.

If you’re simplifying it but because you actually see fertility rate on the graph it’s better to use that term better to use what you see.

OK.

If you want to clarify something though all you have to do is add or.

And then say the other way to say it.

Total fertility rate or number of children born per woman in countries around the world.

OK.

We could say all countries around the world.

But actually we don’t know if it’s all countries.

It probably is but it doesn’t really say that.

Does it and the GDP per capita of those countries.

So that helps us make it clear that the relationship is between this and this.

We’re not talking about different countries makes it very clear we use those to reference to talk about the previous countries that we said OK.

Then we just say the date in 2004 when did this data come out.

Basically we don’t know.

We don’t know when exactly they did the study when they got the information.

But this comes out in 2004.

That’s that’s the year we have.

OK.

There is a sharp drop in the fertility rate of poor countries between 0 and about five thousand dollars.

Because if you remember it’s shaped like this.

We need to help that person on the phone visualize this.

If we say there is a gradual a gradual decline the feeling will be like this.

If we say sharp decline that’s still not so clear because it could be like that it could be like that could be like that.

So if we say numbers even if it’s about we help clarify OK we can say around 5000.

Between 0 and around five thousand or about five thousand GDP if we wanted to add the highest number we could say the highest is around forty one thousand dollars.

That’s OK too.

If we don’t need to say that then we can leave it out.

We’re still just trying to describe basically what we see here.

When the GDP is low.

Now we’re talking about this not quite analysis but we are talking about a specific trend that we can see.

We’re talking about what happens when this thing happens when the GDP is low.

The fertility rate tends to be high.

That is a trend.

So if there is a trend we often use the word tend to describe it.

It is a trend that when the GDP is low the fertility rate is high it tends to be high.

So don’t be confused between trend and trend.

There used to usually talk about the same kind of thing tends to be high in general in general.

That helps us say well it’s not always true.

Maybe I don’t know but it seems to be true.

It looks to me like when the country is wealthier when there’s more money or the GDP is higher then there are not that many children.

That’s interesting.

OK.

But we can use in general to say I’m not saying everyone is like this.

I’m just trying to communicate what I see here.

In general wealthy countries tend to have fewer children per woman.

OK.

Or we could say fertility rate in general wealthy countries tend to have a lower fertility rate.

Same thing.

There are former move but there are far more countries near the lower end of the graph.

So we could talk about the high end and the low end.

What does that mean exactly.

Well usually when we say and we’re talking about the x axis not the y axis usually usually and the low end will be closer to zero.

The high end will be the higher number.

That’s very useful phrase the low end and the high end very useful.

This is to help us talk about a maybe a spectrum member from here to here.

OK.

So there are far more countries near the low or lower end of the graph in terms of GDP.

Now in terms of is to help us clarify which exact thing we’re talking about in terms of wealth in terms of children per woman in terms of what.

So if we want to clarify exactly what it is that is this way at the low end it’s going to be GDP per capita in terms of you can use to talk about well this is my topic but in terms of wealth yeah maybe maybe this country is doing quite well.

But in terms of equality not so well and in terms of nutrition.

Again not so well.

But in terms of the quality of entertainment then you can talk about whatever you want to talk about to say if something is good or bad in a specific place I love to visit for example I love to visit San Francisco in terms of interesting things to do.

It’s awesome.

But in terms of maybe cost it’s not so awesome it’s very expensive in terms of cost and relatively few at the higher end.

So this is a very simple way to describe this graph.

We could add more we could talk about the highest country being at around 41000 1000 GDP per capita.

We could include that if we wanted to do that we would say simply the highest country or the country with the highest GDP per capita is at around forty one thousand dollars and the average children per woman there is about two.

OK.

So if we want to say that we certainly can.

Saying what’s at the end might be useful in some cases so that it’s clear what is the highest number.

Sometimes that can help.

So I hope from this description you can pick out some of the useful phrases that we can use to talk about graphs and always imagine that even if it’s not the situation imagine that you’re describing it to someone who can’t see it that will force you to use very clear language.

And I think if we use this description and say it over the phone to somebody or for some reason someone is closing their eyes they can get a pretty good picture of what we’re talking about if we use this description they can get a good image in their mind.

What does this graph look like.

Next we’re going to talk a little bit about how we might analyze this graph how we might break it down break it down can say break.

Break it down remember analyze means to talk about maybe what it means even though it might be a guess.

So let’s let’s see what that could look like.

Just for fun.