the number

One value, on its own. It is not a trend and not a spread — just the one number.

What it leaves outA number with nothing beside it cannot be big or small. 46.5% of what, measured when, compared with which other year?

1 · basics · rung 1 · what’s there

shipped on the platform · StatTile · gauge · bargauge

Three worked examples

78 days of unhealthy air. Is that a lot?

Before you lookWrite yes or no, and one sentence saying why you think so. You do not have enough information to be right, and that is the point.

civicnumber_la_aqi_california_counties.csv · 52 rows · 5 columns

air quality in every California county, with the days each one measured

What to look atOne county's median AQI is one number. It says nothing about the days that were far worse — look at max_aqi in the same row.

This example draws itself with a small script. With scripting off you can still read every word on this page, and the file itself is at data/number_la_aqi_california_counties.csv.

earth and spacewindow_global_temperature_annual.csv · 146 rows · 2 columns

global temperature anomaly, one number per year since 1880

What to look atAny single year here is a number you could put on a poster. The last column of the file is the reason nobody should.

This example draws itself with a small script. With scripting off you can still read every word on this page, and the file itself is at data/window_global_temperature_annual.csv.

teen healthnhis_teen_estimates.csv · 1,700 rows · 9 columns · showing 400 of 1,700 rows on this page; the file has all of them

every published estimate for teens aged 12-17, with its margin of error

What to look atOne percentage, on its own. The two columns beside it in the file are the range NCHS actually stands behind, and the single number never shows you that.

This example draws itself with a small script. With scripting off you can still read every word on this page, and the file itself is at data/nhis_teen_estimates.csv.

the pool

Now build one yourself.

The pool opens with this file and this shape already drawn, so your first move is to change something rather than to start from nothing. Bring your own CSV if you have one. Nothing is uploaded anywhere — the chart is drawn in your browser, your work saves there, and it downloads as a picture or as a project file you can open again.

Open the pool → the number · number_la_aqi_california_counties.csv