How to Organize and Interpret Information with Venn Diagrams Using Paint
- 1. How to Organize and Interpret Information with Venn Diagrams Using Paint Holly A.
- 2. Introduction Organizing information using Venn Diagrams can be very useful for anything from doing a simple math problem to presenting visual information to other people, or if you just want to make everyday information easier to read and interpret. For this "how to," I will be using a sample problem with made-up data. Sample Problem: You are looking to create study groups in your dorm and are looking for students who have the same classes as you. You would like to form study groups for the following classes: Psychology, Biology and Calculus. You take a survey of 100 students in your building to see if they are in any of your classes.
- 3. Things You'll Need PC with Windows* Paint program Calculator if needed *This "how to" was created on a PC with Windows Vista.
- 4. Step 1: Gather your information, and separate it into specific categories You may even want to make a table to make it easier when you enter your information into the diagram. Classes Number of Students Psychology only 15 Biology only 17 Calculus only 10 Psychology and Biology 13 Psychology and Calculus 11 Biology and Calculus 8 All three 6 None 20 Total 100
- 5. Step 2: Open Paint Click the Start menu Go to All Programs Click Accessories Select Paint
- 6. Step 3: Draw 3 overlaping circles Click on the "Ellipse" button It looks like an oval and is located on the menu on the left side of the screen. Draw each circle to be approximately the same size, and have each one overlap the next one enough so that you can write in each of the sections.
- 7. Step 4: Insert a title into each one of the circles Title each circle with the category names: Psychology, Biology & Calculus Click on the text button The button is an "A" and is located in the left side menu Click in one of the circles, which will bring up a text box From here, you can type your title, and change the size & font to your preference.
- 8. Step 5: Put the numbers in the circles Select the text button on the left side menu Click inside each portion of the circle & enter the corresponding number except for the "None" category, which will come later
- 9. Step 6: Place a box around the diagram Click on the "Rectangle" button on the left side menu. Drag the cursor around the circles, leaving enough room so that you can type text inside the box.
- 10. Step 7: Insert text into the box Select the text tool and click inside the box in an area that gives you enough room to type Type "None" Use the text tool again & click beside "None" & type correct number for the category.
- 11. Step 8: Title the diagram Select the text tool once more This time, type outside of the box, making the title slightly larger than the rest of the text
- 12. Step 9: Interpret the diagram You can now interpret the diagram. For the sample problem, you would want to figure out which classes would be the best for forming study groups. For each class, count up the total number of students enrolled in each subject. For example, Psychology does not only have 15 people in it, but there are actually 45 student enrolled in the class. You count all the people in each section of the Psychology circle, even if they are enrolled in more than one of the classes on the diagram. Do this for the other two circles to find out the total number of students enrolled in each subject. 15 + 13 + 11 + 6 = 45 students in Psychology 17 + 13 + 8 + 6 = 44 students in Biology 10 + 11 + 8 + 6 = 35 students in Calculus Since there are more students enrolled in Psychology and Biology than Calculus, it would be best to form study groups for those two subjects. You now have a much more visual way of presenting and interpreting written information or statistics.
- 13. Other Uses for Venn Diagrams Venn Diagrams can also be used to compare similarities and differences between two or more items, categories, subjects, etc. For example, you could compare the similarities and differences between dogs and fish. Similarities: Dogs and fish are both animals, and they both have eyes. Differences: Dogs have fur and legs. Fish have scales and fins. You would then put the differences in separate circles and put the similarities in the overlapping portion.