A
line chart or
line graph is a type of
chart which displays information as a series of data points called 'markers' connected by straight segments. It is a basic type of
chart common in many fields. It is similar to a
scatter plot except that the measurement points are ordered (typically by their x-axis value) and joined with straight line segments. A line chart is often used to visualize a trend in data over intervals of time – a
time series – thus the line is often drawn chronologically. In these cases they are known as
run charts.