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Distribution

Stacked dotplot (distribution)

Stacks equal-unit dots at observed values or numeric bins to show frequency.

  • Plot
  • Distribution
  • Frequency

What it answers

How often does each value or bin occur?

Shape
Dots stacked above values or bins
What it shows
Frequency, concentration and sample size.

Example

The question

How many returns does each store handle on a typical day?

Days by number of returns, one dot per day (dot plot, illustrative)

Days by number of returns, one dot per day (dot plot, illustrative)Each dot is one day, stacked above the number of returns. Most days have 4 to 7 returns, with 5 the most common. 2 returns 1; 3 returns 3; 4 returns 6; 5 returns 9; 6 returns 7; 7 returns 5; 8 returns 3; 9 returns 2; 10 returns 1; 12 returns 1.Days024681012Returns per day0246810
Days by number of returns, one dot per day (dot plot, illustrative)Each dot is one day, stacked above the number of returns. Most days have 4 to 7 returns, with 5 the most common. 2 returns 1; 3 returns 3; 4 returns 6; 5 returns 9; 6 returns 7; 7 returns 5; 8 returns 3; 9 returns 2; 10 returns 1; 12 returns 1.Days024681012Returns per day0246810
Each dot is one day, stacked above the number of returns. Most days have 4 to 7 returns, with 5 the most common. 2 returns 1; 3 returns 3; 4 returns 6; 5 returns 9; 6 returns 7; 7 returns 5; 8 returns 3; 9 returns 2; 10 returns 1; 12 returns 1.

Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.

When to use it

Use it when

Small samples or frequency displays with explicit bins.

Avoid it when

When a dot's meaning or binning is ambiguous.

How to read it

Count stacked dots using the stated units-per-dot.

Note

Different from the comparison dot plot at VIS-012.

The data you need

Layout
Long table
Fields
Value: number
One row is
One raw numeric observation. What is the grain?
Rules
Use raw observations unless the chosen renderer explicitly accepts summaries or bins. Define missing-value treatment.
Optional
Optional frequency Weight. Pre-binned alternative: BinStart,BinEnd,Count; do not treat counts as raw values.
Preparation
Keep raw numeric observations, group them if needed and handle missingness explicitly. Choose bins, bandwidth or summary conventions as appropriate to this specific plot.
Units
The measurement axis retains its original unit. Frequency uses observations; normalised frequency divides by group sample size; density also depends on interval width.
Example of the input layout: Long tableA long table: one row per observation, few columns. New data adds rows.ValueAABBC
A long table: one row per observation, few columns. New data adds rows.

Worked example

Values 10,12,12,18,23. Stack two dots above 12 and one above each other value. Each dot represents one observation.

Value
10
12
12
18
23
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