Final answer:
When displaying discrete data on a chart, gaps should be left between bars to reflect the distinct and non-overlapping nature of discrete categories.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you display discrete data in a chart, you should leave gaps between bars. This is because discrete data are countable items, such as the number of students in each grade, or the number of cars sold by a dealership. Each bar represents a specific category or value that does not overlap with another; hence the spaces signify the distinct nature of this data.
On the other hand, a pie chart would be appropriate when representing data that needs to show how a whole group is divided into proportional segments, such as the percentage of market share held by different companies. However, a pie chart can become cluttered and hard to interpret if there are too many small slices.
When creating a bar graph, especially for comparative purposes like presenting data from different researchers, it's essential to organize the bars in a way that makes the comparison clear and easy to understand. This can be through chronological order or alignment with relevant categories.
Making sure that colors are distinguishable, and that scales and numbers are legible will enhance clarity in presenting the bar graph. Conversely, in a pie chart, ensuring the legibility of the percentages and maintaining consistency in color coding across different segments for comparison are essential practices to prevent display problems.