Scale Distortion Math Example 3
Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.
Example 3
easyA pictograph shows a 2021 salary twice as large as a 2020 salary by doubling both the height AND width of a dollar bill icon. If the actual increase was 2×, by what factor does the icon area increase?
Solution
- 1 If height doubles AND width doubles: area = height × width
- 2 New area =
- 3 The icon appears 4× larger visually, even though salary only doubled — a 2× exaggeration of the actual change
Answer
Icon area increases by 4× even though salary only doubled. Scaling both dimensions creates visual deception.
Pictographs that scale both dimensions of an icon distort proportional representation. Area grows as the square of linear dimensions. To correctly represent a 2× increase, only one dimension should be doubled.
About Scale Distortion
Scale distortion occurs when a graph's axis does not start at zero or uses inconsistent intervals, making small differences appear large or large differences appear small.
Learn more about Scale Distortion →More Scale Distortion Examples
Example 1 easy
Two graphs show the same data (unemployment: 4% to 5%). Graph A: y-axis from 0–10%. Graph B: y-axis
Example 2 mediumA graph uses a logarithmic scale for a dataset ranging from 1 to 1,000,000. Explain when a log scale
Example 4 hardA company's revenue chart has an x-axis with uneven time intervals (2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018). T