averaging out some of the year-to-year changes, the line appears smoother and with fewer highs and lows. In

reality, the unemployment rate is reported monthly, and Figure A11 (f) shows the monthly figures since 1960,

which fluctuate more than the five-year average. Figure A11 (f) is also a vivid illustration of how graphs can

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A • The Use of Mathematics in Principles of Economics 517

compress lots of data. The graph includes monthly data since 1960, which over almost 50 years, works out to

nearly 600 data points. Reading that list of 600 data points in numerical form would be hypnotic. You can,

however, get a good intuitive sense of these 600 data points very quickly from the graph.

A final trick in manipulating the perception of graphical information is that, by choosing the starting and

ending points carefully, you can influence the perception of whether the variable is rising or falling. The
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