If two columns are presented as percentages and absolute counts, what must you convert to compare fairly?

If two columns are presented as percentages and absolute counts, what must you convert to compare fairly?

• A. The same metric, either convert percentages to counts or counts to percentages using the total
• B. The units of time
• C. The color of the chart
• D. The font size

Answer: (A)

To compare a column shown as percentages with a column shown as absolute counts, put both on the same scale using the same total as the basis. You can do this in either direction: convert the percentages into counts by applying them to the same overall total, or convert the counts into percentages by dividing by that same total. For example, if one row is 40% of a total of 1,000, that would be 400 counts. If the other row has 350 counts, you can compare 400 counts to 350 counts directly. Alternatively, you could convert the 350 counts into a percentage of 1,000, which is 35%, and compare 40% to 35%. The key is using a common total so both numbers share the same base. If the two columns come from different totals, you still need a single shared total to base the conversion on, so the comparison remains apples-to-apples.

To compare a column shown as percentages with a column shown as absolute counts, put both on the same scale using the same total as the basis. You can do this in either direction: convert the percentages into counts by applying them to the same overall total, or convert the counts into percentages by dividing by that same total.

For example, if one row is 40% of a total of 1,000, that would be 400 counts. If the other row has 350 counts, you can compare 400 counts to 350 counts directly. Alternatively, you could convert the 350 counts into a percentage of 1,000, which is 35%, and compare 40% to 35%. The key is using a common total so both numbers share the same base.

If the two columns come from different totals, you still need a single shared total to base the conversion on, so the comparison remains apples-to-apples.