Which type of chart is best used to display proportions of a whole?

The choice of a pie chart for displaying proportions of a whole is based on its unique design, which visually segments a circle into slices that represent different categories relative to the entire dataset. Each slice's size correlates directly with the proportion it represents, making it immediately clear how each part contributes to the whole.

Pie charts are particularly effective when you want to emphasize the relationship between parts and their entirety, allowing viewers to quickly assess which categories are larger or smaller in comparison to each other. This makes pie charts an intuitive and accessible option for presentations where understanding categorical data at a glance is essential.

In contrast, other chart types serve different purposes: bar charts are better suited for comparing quantities across categories, line charts are ideal for showing trends over time, and scatter plots are used to illustrate relationships between two numerical variables. While these other charts can convey certain aspects of the data, they do not effectively portray the concept of parts constituting a complete whole as clearly as pie charts do.