Question

a. observe the sizes of each state in the cartogram you created. some are larger and others are smaller. what is indicated by the size of each state? (5 points)

Explanation:

A cartogram is a map where the area of regions (like states) is adjusted to represent a specific variable (not just geographic area). Common variables for US state cartograms include population, economic metrics (e.g., GDP), or demographic data. For example, if it's a population cartogram, larger states would have higher populations, and smaller ones lower. Without the cartogram creation context, a typical cartogram for US states often uses population (since geographic size doesn't correlate with population—e.g., Alaska is geographically large but has a small population, while New Jersey is small geographically but has a large population density). So the size likely indicates a non - geographic variable, most commonly population (or another statistical measure like electoral votes, economic output) where the area is proportional to the value of that variable for each state.

Answer:

The size of each state in the cartogram likely indicates a non - geographic variable (such as population, economic output, or another statistical measure) where the area of the state is proportional to the value of that variable for the state. A common example is population, where larger states on the cartogram have a higher population (and smaller ones have a lower population) compared to the geographic - size - based representation of the states.