Question

The aaa cable company uses this graph to compare their costs to the costs of a competitor. The competitor charges a $20 installation fee and $1.10 per day. AAA cable has no installation fee and charges $1.30 per day. The cable company rates a graph titled 'Cable Company Rates' has time (days) on the x-axis, and cost (dollars) on the y-axis, from 0 to 45 in increments of 5. A line titled 'Our Cost' goes through (4, 5) and (8, 10). A line titled 'Their Cost' goes through (0, 20) and (4, 25). What can be done to make this graph less misleading?

1) Change the vertical scale to increments of $10 instead of increments of $5.
2) Change the horizontal scale to increments of 10 days instead of increments of 1 day.
3) Change the vertical scale to increments of $1 instead of increments of $5.
4) Change the horizontal scale to increments of one-half days instead of increments of 1 day.

Answer 1

To make the 'Cable Company Rates' graph less misleading, changing the vertical scale to increments of $1 would provide a clearer and more accurate representation of costs over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

To make the graph titled 'Cable Company Rates' less misleading for comparing the costs of AAA cable to its competitor, it is important to consider how the scales on the axes impact the viewer's perception of the information presented. Changing the vertical scale to increments of $1 instead of increments of $5 (option 3) would provide a more precise and detailed view of the costs over time, making it easier to compare the two companies' rates accurately.

Using smaller increments on the vertical axis would represent the cost differences more clearly without exaggerating the lines representing the costs. The viewer would be able to see the nuances of how costs from both companies accumulate over time. This would correct the issue of the average cost line appearing almost flat, which could mislead viewers into underestimating the true cost differences between the two companies over time.

Therefore, smaller increments on the vertical scale provide a more truthful and clear comparison, and no other changes to the graph are immediately necessary to improve its accuracy in conveying the cost information of the company.

Answer 2

To make the graph less misleading, adjust the vertical scale to increments of $1 instead of $5, ensuring a more precise and accurate comparison of daily costs between the two cable companies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question suggests that AAA Cable Company is trying to represent their costs in comparison to a competitor's costs using a graph. To make the graph less misleading, one can change the vertical scale to increments of $1 instead of increments of $5. This is because the current scale may not accurately represent the differences in daily costs between AAA Cable and their competitor, potentially exaggerating or downplaying the actual cost differences. Changing the scale to $1 increments allows for a more precise comparison and better visualization of the cost differences on a daily basis. Changing to increments of $10 would only exacerbate the problem, and changing the horizontal scale does not address the issue.