Definition of comparative chart - What it is, Meaning and Concept

A table can be a graph that specifies the links between different data. Comparative , meanwhile, is what allows a comparison (the discovery of similarities and differences between various elements from their analysis or observation).

A comparative chart , therefore, is a graphical tool that is used to compare .The elements that are compared are located in columns and then, in different rows, the data in question is mentioned.

Comparative tables are used to organize the information , facilitating the identification of similar and different characteristics in the concepts, which is why they are useful for the acquisition of knowledge and for the memorization of contents.

Suppose a student must take a social science exam that will revolve around the countries North American .When studying, he decides to create a comparative chart.

In the columns, place the names of the countries: MEXICO , UNITED STATES and CANADA .Under the column corresponding to each nation , start writing different data, one per row to allow comparison:

Capital: MEXICO CITY / WASHINGTON DC / OTTAWA Area: 1,964,375 KM2 / 9,371,174 KM2 / 9,984,670 KM2 Government system: FEDERAL REPUBLIC / FEDERAL REPUBLIC / PARLIAMENTARY MONARCHY FEDERAL

A young woman who is planning her vacation , on the other hand, can develop a comparative chart to define which hotel is most convenient for her:

LIBERTADOR HOTEL / HOTEL ARENAS DORADAS 4 STARS / 3 STARS INCLUDES BREAKFAST / INCLUDES BREAKFAST AND DINNER HAS POOL / DOES NOT HAVE POOL

It is important to highlight that the comparative table not only serves to contrast groups of data, but also phenomena , and that the information just obtained once the comparison has been made.For example, in a social experiment, twenty people of all ages receive a slogan that gives rise to two opposite tendencies and then the reaction of each one is observed.At the end, the result is entered in the table, where two quite marked age groups are evidenced according to their behaviors: the age of each participant is a fact, while the conclusion to which the study leads is information.

The data obtained through the use of a comparative chart can be of a qualitative or quantitative nature, depending on the case, and it is an ideal tool to examine two or more objects in a way visual.Usually, it is used in the field of research to evaluate various models, rule out the least viable and offer a relatively detailed picture of the possibilities.

It is very useful for making decisions important, which depend on a careful analysis of the available resources, since they allow us to observe all the alternatives in an objective and in-depth way.Even though it is so common today, the comparative chart emerged at the beginning of the 19th century.in 1785, anyway, a map was drawn up in which the dimensions of the European countries of the time were compared.

The first formal comparative chart examples began to appear in the early 1800s. Charles Smith and John Thomson published comparative tables in which the heights of several mountains and elevations around the world were listed .Also the paintings focused on the comparison of rivers, monuments, planets and animals were common, taking as a reference different data, which could be length, height and size, among others.

As you can see, one of the benefits of comparative tables is that they allow us to sort the information and, consequently, achieve a degree of organization that opens the doors to better decisions.Currently they are present in various pages of Internet; in electronic commerce, to name a case, they help users to clearly detect the differences among a group of products to choose the one that best suits your needs.