Overlapping data graphics to make comparisons

June 2, 2015  |  Edward Tufte
1 Comment(s)

Here are displays of performances of 10 large mutual funds, first a sparkline-table, and then by various overlaps or stacked piles of sparklines:

 image1

Source: Edward Tufte, Beautiful Evidence, p.51

Then a delightful workaday practical example by Dr. Reuben Strayer, an emergency room expert: “How emergency room clinicians determine regular vs. irregular rhythm without instruments. Cardiologists use calipers. Intensivists write little marks on a page and march them across. Emergency providers fold the ECG in half and hold it up to the light. Or the sun.

Fold the tracing in half. Hold up to the light.

 image2

Now align the QRS complexes.

The rhythm is regular.

 image3

Here is another example.

 image4

Irregular.

Cannot line up QRS complexes.”

 image5

link: http://emupdates.com/2015/04/14/how-emergency-clinicians-determine-regular-vs-irregular/

Topics: E.T., Science
Comments
  • Edward Tufte says:

     image1

    Elo ratings have a simple formula; the only inputs are the final score of each game, and where and when it was played. Teams always gain Elo points for winning. But they get more credit for upset victories and for winning by larger margins. Elo ratings are zero-sum, however. When the Houston Rockets gained 49 Elo points by winning the final three games of their Western Conference semifinal during this year’s playoffs, that meant the Los Angeles Clippers lost 49 Elo points.

    A rating of 1500 is approximately average, although the league average can be slightly higher or lower depending on how recently the league has expanded. (Expansion teams begin with a 1300 rating.) Select a team above, and zoom in to explore its history.

     image2

    It’s no surprise that the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls with an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins have the best Elo rating ever. The team picked up its fourth NBA championship at the end of that season, but the Bulls hit their peak Elo (1853) a few games earlier when they stomped the SuperSonics 108-86 in Seattle to take a 3-0 lead in the finals and improve their playoff record to 14-1. Chicago went into a “slump” for the next two games losing both by double digits before clinching the title in Game 6.

    Source: FiveThirtyEight

Contribute

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.