I need to make one graph showing changes in population for deer and wolves. I'm stuck because the deer scale would go by 500's. but the wolves are very small and would go by 2's! I have no idea how i can make my y-axis of my graph! any ideas?
Two options really.
1. Use two y axes, one on the LHS of the paper and one on the RHS of the paper. One runs from say 0-500 (deer) and the other runs from 0-2 (wolves)
2. Use the same LHS y axis and label the tickmarks 0-5, but put two labels on the axis, 'number of wolves' and 'number of deer/100'
Alternatively have two separate graphs one directly above the other so that they follow the same x-scale.
Another option to consider is using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis. A logarithmic scale allows you to visually represent a wide range of values using a more compressed scale. This can help in situations where you have significantly different scales for different variables.
To use a logarithmic scale, you would need to determine the appropriate base to use. A common choice is base 10, but other bases are also possible. Once you have chosen the base, you can determine the tick marks and labels for your y-axis accordingly. For example, if you choose a base 10 logarithmic scale, you could use tick marks at 1, 10, 100, 1000, etc.
Using a logarithmic scale would allow you to include both the large values for deer population (e.g., 500) and the small values for wolf population (e.g., 2) on the same graph. It would also make it easier to visualize and compare the changes in population for both species over time.
However, keep in mind that using a logarithmic scale might require some adjustment in interpreting and communicating the results, as the relationships between tick marks and values are not linear.