Hello and welcome to eTutoring:

Here are some examples:

http://www.spss.com/research/wilkinson/TheGrammarOfGraphics/fig1_1.jpg

http://www.spss.com/research/wilkinson/TheGrammarOfGraphics/fig8_11.jpg

Here is where these examples came from - scroll all the way to the bottom.  They are the first two links under 1999 http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/milestone/sec9.html

Leland Wilkinson author of The Grammar of Graphics, Springer-Verlang 1999 gives us a nice example of a contour map. Using Graphs and diagrams to explain math/statistics/cal is what gives real meaning to the phrase a picture is worth a thouand words. -->

http://www.spss.com/research/wilkinson/TheGrammarOfGraphics/GOG.html

Another Good example, also from the Grammar of Graphics - is the US Tempereative Variation Contour Map, by Leland Wilkinson.

http://www.spss.com/research/wilkinson/

Contour Maps paint a picture of data, this one you can clealy see the temperatures accross the United States.

These are very detailed and would take a computer to produce - but they are examples of the WHAT and HOW uses of Contour maps.  The exciting part of what you are learning - is that numbers and statistics can PAINT a visual image of your data.  And a picture speaks a thousand words.  On this page "Milestones in the History of Statistical Graphics and Data Visualization" - it shows how we have been able to use pictures to: Describe -or- Map -or- Create a Graph, to explain to others who are not mathematically inclined - or like us - pictures are easier.

Here is another interesting site:  http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/historical.html   to find the contour example - click Edit, Find (on this page) and type in the "Find what" field - contour and press the Find Next button. Each time you click the Find Next button it will highlight the word on the web page.  This brings up a 3rd example:  Escaping the 2D plane:  The Contour plot. 

When I look at the example http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/images/vauthier.gif  it is a topographical map it shows mountains and valleys so you can see the "contour" of the land even though it is printed on a piece of paper.

Beatrice - to find these examples I goggled on: 

"contour map" statistics math

The " around "countour map" tells Google to find these two words next to one another.

I hope this helps to get you excited about Statistics - because learning how to draw pictures from data is important and fun - if you think about it in the right light!!

My normal tutoring time is Sunday 10am -12:30am.  Please drop by and tell me if this helped.  Or respond to this answer.

Have a great day.

yes it did. thanks

Your Welcome! 

Have a great Stat class this week!