Analysis of Food Choices
Comparing Pie Charts and Bar Graphs for Categorical Data
1. Original Data
The following table shows the favorite food choices for a group of 120 people.
| Favourite Food | Number of People |
|---|---|
| North Indian | 30 |
| South Indian | 40 |
| Chinese | 25 |
| Others | 25 |
| Total | 120 |
2. Converting Data to Angles for a Pie Chart
A pie chart represents data in a circle. Since a full circle has 360 degrees, we convert each data point into a proportional slice (angle) of that circle.
Angle = ValueTotal × 360°
| Favourite Food | Calculation | Central Angle |
|---|---|---|
| North Indian | ( 30120 ) × 360° |
90° |
| South Indian | ( 40120 ) × 360° |
120° |
| Chinese | ( 25120 ) × 360° |
75° |
| Others | ( 25120 ) × 360° |
75° |
| Total | 360° | |
3. Interactive Visualizations
Hover over the sections of the charts to see the details.
Pie Chart
Bar Graph
4. Which Graph is More Appropriate?
Pie Chart: Best for Proportions
A pie chart is ideal here because the main goal is to understand the **part-to-whole relationship**. It instantly shows what fraction of the total group prefers each type of food. You can easily see that South Indian food is the most popular choice, representing the largest slice of the pie.
Bar Graph: Best for Comparisons
A bar graph is also a very effective choice. Its strength is in making it easy to **compare the exact values** between categories. You can quickly see that South Indian has 10 more votes than North Indian, a comparison that is harder to make with precision on a pie chart without looking at the labels.
Conclusion
Both graphs are valid, but if the goal is to show how the preferences are distributed as percentages of the whole group, the **pie chart is the most appropriate** choice. If the goal is to compare the raw number of votes, the **bar graph is slightly better**.