Buzzfeed.com published a multivariable graph that purported to rank colleges by academics and “hotness.” The data from this graph are represented to the right.

a. What kind of graph is this? Explain.

b. List the variables that are included in this graph.

c. List at least three ways in which this graph could be redesigned in light of the guidelines in this chapter.

Description

Data from the graph are summarized as follows. All data are approximate.

The following colleges are ranked as academically higher at 0 to 25:

Hotness score 0.2 to 0.3: Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley

Hotness score 0.3 to 0.4: Northwestern University, Yale University

Hotness score 0.4 to 0.5: University of Chicago, Cornell

University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard

University, Columbia University, Princeton University,

University of Pennsylvania

Hotness score 0.6 to 0.7: Brown University, Dartmouth College

The following colleges are ranked as academically average at 25 to 50:

Hotness score 0.4 to 0.5: University of California, Los Angeles,

Tufts University, Georgetown University, University of North

Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, University of Michigan

Hotness score 0.5 to 0.6: Carnegie Mellon University, Boston College

The following colleges are ranked as academically average at 50 to 75:

Hotness score 0.3 to 0.4: University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

Hotness score: 0.4 to 0.5: University of Southern California, New York University

The following colleges are ranked as academically low at 75 to 100:

Hotness score 0.2 to 0.3: University of California, Davis, University of South Florida

Hotness score 0.3 to 0.4: George Washington University 

Hotness score: 0.4 to 0.5: University of Georgia, University of California, Santa Barbara

Hotness score 0.5 to 0.6: Boston University, Pennsylvania State University

Transcribed Image Text:

Rankings of Colleges by Academic Standing and "Hotness" (Hotness Ratio/Zone ID) 0.7 More "hot" Dartmouth College Brown University Pennsylvania State University- Boston University- Princeton University University of Pennsylvania • Boston College Camegie Mellon University New York University Columbia University University of Southern California • University of Michigan • University of Virginia Harvard University • University of North Carolina-ChapelHill Georgetown University Tufts University University of California, Santa Barbara University of Georgia Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Cornell University University of California, Los Angeles University of Chicago OYale University Northwestern University University of Ilinois-Urbana-Champaign George Washington University • University of California, Berkeley Stanford University University of South Florida e University of California, Davis 0.1 Less "hot" 50 100 Higher academically Lower academically