Which of the following is an accurate description of the information typically displayed in a pie chart?

• A. A pie chart presents the frequency of data values using adjacent bars of equal width.
• B. A pie chart is used to show the distribution of data over time with connected line segments.
• C. A pie chart shows the relative proportions of categories as sectors of a circle, where the size of each sector represents the percentage $\%$ or fraction $\frac{\mathrm{part}}{\mathrm{whole}}$ of the whole.
• D. A pie chart displays the relationship between two quantitative variables using points plotted on a Cartesian plane.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what a pie chart is used for in statistics. A pie chart is a circular graph divided into sectors, where each sector represents a category's proportion relative to the whole dataset.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the size of each sector in a pie chart corresponds to the percentage or fraction of the total that category represents. This helps visualize how parts make up a whole.
3. Step 3: Compare the given options to the definition of a pie chart. Note that options mentioning bars, line segments, or Cartesian planes describe other types of graphs (bar charts, line graphs, scatter plots) rather than pie charts.
4. Step 4: Identify that the correct description is the one stating that a pie chart shows relative proportions of categories as sectors of a circle, with sector sizes representing percentages or fractions of the whole.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the accurate description of a pie chart is the one emphasizing its use for displaying categorical data proportions visually as parts of a circle.