DMA_2_QQPlots_&_Time_

Series_Graphs
By Prof. Mangal S. Dandekar
What is a time series graph?
A time series graph is a line graph that shows data such as measurements, sales or

frequencies over a given time period. They can be used to show a pattern or trend in

the data and are useful for making predictions about the future such as weather

forecasting or financial growth.

To draw a time series graph, we need a set of axes.

The horizontal axis always shows the time period, and the vertical axis represents

the variable being recorded against time.

For example,

This time series graph shows the temperature of a

town recorded over two years at three-monthly periods

known as quarters.
The coordinates are plotted and then joined together with straight line

segments. It is important that the axis labels are clear so that the time

series graph can be interpreted. The horizontal axis is always a

continuous scale and both axes should increase in equal steps.

A trendline is difficult to plot for a time series when the data is clearly

fluctuating (rising and falling values over time). This type of data can be

described as seasonal. Instead of plotting a line of best fit, we plot a

moving average.
Example 1: drawing a time series graph (year and quarters)
Interpreting a time series graph
A line of best fit is required when analysing a trend in a time series or to

estimate future values. If a time series shows seasonal data (seasonality), it is

far more accurate to draw a moving average than a line of best fit.

We cannot use correlation descriptors for data represented in a time series plot

as we are not comparing two variables, we are tracking one variable over a

period of time.
Example 4: describe the trend in the data
Below is a time series showing the number of people attending the cinema over a three week period.
As we need to describe the trend in the data, we
can see that the gradient of the line of best fit is
slightly positive (going upwards). This means that
the number of people attending the cinema is
gradually increasing over the time period.

It is clear that the data is seasonal (we can see that

the number of people attending the cinema on
Monday to Thursday each week is lower than for
Friday to Sunday).
What is a Q Q Plot?
Q Q Plots (Quantile-Quantile plots) are plots of two quantiles
against each other. X axis → Theoretical quantiles and Y axis →
Sample quantiles.

A quantile is a fraction where certain values fall below that quantile.

For example, the median is a quantile where 50% of the data fall
below that point and 50% lie above it.
Normal quantile-quantile (QQ) plot

The image above shows quantiles

from a theoretical normal distribution
on the horizontal axis. It’s being
compared to a set of data on the y-
axis. This particular type of Q Q plot
is called a normal quantile-
quantile (QQ) plot. The points are
not clustered on the 45 degree line,
and in fact follow a curve,
suggesting that the sample data is
not normally distributed.
Q Q Plots and the Assumption of Normality
The assumption of normality is an important assumption for
many statistical tests; you assume you are sampling from a
normally distributed population. The normal Q Q plot is one way
to assess normality. However, you don’t have to use the normal
distribution as a comparison for your data; you can use any
continuous distribution as a comparison (for example a
Weibull distribution or a uniform distribution), as long as you can
calculate the quantiles. In fact, a common procedure is to test out
several different distributions with the Q Q plot to see if one fits
your data well.
What is cumulative frequency?

Calculate the cumulative frequency values for the data set.

The question states that there are 100 students. The
cumulative frequency must therefore total 100. If not, go
back and check each value for the cumulative frequency
again.