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MENTAL MODEL · M12230

Lie Factor

Lie Factor
StructureHigh supportCritical Thinking
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Updated 2026-08-15

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The lie factor, proposed by Edward Tufte, is the size of the effect shown in a graphic divided by the size of the effect in the data. If the data grew by fifty percent but the graphic appears to have grown by two hundred percent, the factor is four, and the graphic is lying in proportion to it. The mechanism behind most cases is dimension mismatch: using an area or a volume to represent a one-dimensional quantity inflates the perceived difference by its square or cube, and a truncated axis does similar work in a chart. The factor gives the lie a number, so it can be measured instead of merely argued about.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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- Check the axis first: before reading any chart, confirm the baseline is zero and the scale is labeled. - Catch the dimension swap: ask whether height, area, or volume is carrying the quantity, since only height is honest for one value. - Compute the factor: when the effect looks dramatic, divide the graphic's change by the data's change.

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Perception of size scales with the dimensions that are drawn, while quantities scale with the number they represent, so encoding a one-dimensional value as a two- or three-dimensional object multiplies the perceived change geometrically. Truncating the vertical axis works the same way, by hiding the portion of the range that would make the change look small. The result is that the eye reads a difference the numbers do not contain, which is why visual claims must be checked against the values rather than against the picture.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    infovis-wiki.nethttps://infovis-wiki.net/wiki/Lie_FactorZH · Explicit
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