Data Dive · Rung 2 · What's Reported · 2.3

A pattern with a mechanism, and one without

Similar sizes. Completely different shapes.

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One

Rat complaints by day of the week

Rat complaints by day of the weekNew York, 2024complaints filedday of the weekcomplaints filed3,4166,83206,832Mon6,427Tue6,148Wed6,130Thu5,736Fri4,019Sat4,434Sun

New York, 2024

6,832
Monday
4,019
Saturday
1.70x
spread
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Two

Earthquakes by day of the week

Earthquakes by day of the weekSouthern California, M2 and above, 2015-2024earthquakes recordedday of the weekearthquakes recorded497.59950805Mon767Tue995Wed895Thu799Fri801Sat753Sun

Southern California, M2+, 2015-2024

995
Wednesday, the high
753
Sunday, the low
1.32x
spread
AskOne of these subjects has a week. Which one?
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The point

Describe the shape, not the size

Rat complaints fall smoothly Monday to Saturday — a gradient, in order, every step. That is what a mechanism looks like: people are at work, at a desk, near a phone.

Earthquakes have no gradient. Wednesday happens to be high. The Earth does not know it is Wednesday.

The three questions
  1. One of these subjects has a week. Which?
  2. Describe the shape of each pattern, not its size.
  3. Which one would you bet repeats next year?
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After the dive

The shapes on this page, in the library’s own words

the bar

Bar length is the value, so it only means anything measured from zero. Start the axis anywhere else and the lengths stop matching the numbers.

What it leaves outOrder is a choice. Sorted by size it is a ranking; sorted by name it is a lookup; and the same bars say different things in each.

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