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William Playfair

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British mathematician, engineer and political economist (1759-1823)

United KingdomAcademicsLived 1759 to 1823 · aged 63
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Fame50.9
MomentumNot measured
Languages22
Peak1800s
In century#1,118

William Playfair was a Scottish engineer and political economist. The founder of graphical methods of statistics, Playfair invented several types of diagrams: in 1786 he introduced the line, area and bar chart of economic data, and in 1801 he published what were likely the first pie chart and circle graph, used to...

Also inDeutsch

Photos 4

Playfair's trade-balance time-series chart, published in Commercial and Political Atlas, 1786Playfair's trade-balance time-series chart, published in Commercial and Political Atlas, 1786Pie chart from Playfair's Statistical Breviary (1801), showing the proportions of the Turkish Empire located in Asia, Europe and Africa before 1789Pie chart from Playfair's Statistical Breviary (1801), showing the proportions of the Turkish Empire located in Asia, Europe and Africa before 1789

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About this person

William Playfair was a Scottish engineer and political economist. The founder of graphical methods of statistics, Playfair invented several types of diagrams: in 1786 he introduced the line, area and bar chart of economic data, and in 1801 he published what were likely the first pie chart and circle graph, used to show part-whole relations. Playfair has been reported to have been a secret agent for the British Government, although this has sometimes been a subject of controversy.

Country
United Kingdom
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1759 to 1823 · aged 63
Written about in
22 languages

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