Difference between chart, plot and graph

I'm thinking of what would be the right terms to use in the UI of my new program, when referring to graphical data representations - i.e., whether to call them "charts", "plots" or "graphs". I was wondering how these terms are different, and when is it appropriate to 开发者_JAVA技巧use each of them?

• Chart: Bar, line, or pie charts.

• Plot: X-Y plot or blueprints.

• Graph: Nodes connected by edges.

I feel your pain. Google searching on these words lately for software libraries was quite difficult due to the overlap in their usage.

Elementary school kids are taught that "graphs" are two dimensional grids used for "graphically" displaying math functions. Yet "graph theory" is about networks, not functions; see graphviz.

Business graphics calls a representation using symbols a "chart," such as a pie chart or bar chart, yet a stripchart is a type of plot.