Which chart is best for depicting a frequency distribution of a dataset?

A histogram is the most effective chart for depicting a frequency distribution of a dataset because it visually represents the distribution of numerical data by grouping the data into bins (or intervals) and counting how many data points fall into each bin. This allows for an immediate understanding of the shape, spread, and central tendency of the data.

In a histogram, the x-axis represents the ranges of values, while the y-axis indicates the frequency of data points within each range. This format is particularly useful for continuous data and helps in visualizing patterns such as skewness, modality (number of peaks), and the presence of outliers.

This differs significantly from a bar chart, which is typically used for categorical data rather than continuous data, thus making it less suitable for illustrating frequency distributions. Similarly, a line graph is primarily designed to show trends over time and is not suited for displaying frequencies. A dot plot does represent frequency but is usually best for smaller datasets, as it can become cluttered and hard to read with larger datasets. Hence, the histogram stands out as the best choice for clearly conveying frequency distribution.