<P> A dot chart or dot plot is a statistical chart consisting of data points plotted on a fairly simple scale, typically using filled in circles . There are two common, yet very different, versions of the dot chart . The first has been used in hand - drawn (pre-computer era) graphs to depict distributions going back to 1884 . The other version is described by William S. Cleveland as an alternative to the bar chart, in which dots are used to depict the quantitative values (e.g. counts) associated with categorical variables . </P> <P> The dot plot as a representation of a distribution consists of group of data points plotted on a simple scale . Dot plots are used for continuous, quantitative, univariate data . Data points may be labelled if there are few of them . </P>

A dot plot can serve as an alternative to which type of graph