Usually these axes are the left side and the bottom of the graph. Each axis will always have a label. The label tells you what each axis measures.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bar Graphs

　　A bar graph has two axes and uses bars to show amounts. In Graph 1, we see that the x-axis shows grades that students earned, and the y-axis shows how many students earned each grade. You can see that 6 students earned an A because the bar for A stretches up to 6 on the vertical measurement. There is a lot of information we can get from a simple graph like this(See Graph 1).

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Line Graphs

　　A line graph looks similar to a bar graph, but instead of bars, it plots points and connects them with a line. It has the same parts as a bar graph-two labeled axes-and can be read the same way. To read a line graph, it􀆳s important to focus on the points of intersection rather than the line segments between the points. This type of graph is most commonly used to show how something changes over time. Here is a graph that charts how far a bird flies during the first five days of its spring migration(See Graph 2).

　　The unit of measurement for the x-axis is days. The unit of measurement for the y-axis is kilometers. Thus we can see that, on the first day, the pipit flew 20 kilometers. The line segment goes up between Day 1 and Day 2, which means that the bird flew farther on Day 2. If the line segment angled down, as between Day 4 and Day 5, it would mean that the bird flew fewer kilometers than the day before. This line graph is a quick, visual way to tell the reader about the bird􀆳s migration.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Pie Graphs