Definition
Pictogram
A pictogram uses repeated pictures or symbols to show how many are in each data category.
What it means
Read the key before counting. It tells you how much one whole picture is worth. Then count the symbols in each row and multiply by the key value. A half symbol is worth half as much as a whole one. In US materials, a data pictogram may be called a picture graph or pictograph.
Remember it
Read the key, then count what each symbol is worth.
Example
Suppose one circle represents 2 books. Two whole circles and a half circle represent 2 + 2 + 1 = 5 books. The half circle is valid because it carries half of the whole-circle value.
Watch for
Making a picture larger does not automatically give it a larger value. In a pictogram, each whole symbol keeps the same value set by the key.
Common mix-up
Three symbols mean 3 items only when the key says one symbol equals 1 item.
Exact meaning
A pictogram is a data display in which repeated copies of a picture or symbol represent category frequencies. A key sets the quantity represented by one whole symbol; when a partial symbol is used, it represents the same fraction of the key value.