A Venn diagram is a visual organizer of overlapping circles that explores the relationship between different things.
They are commonly used to organize objects, numbers, and shapes.
Each circle is given a rule or title related to the information.
Each piece of information is then sorted into the most relevant circle.
Information that meets the rule of both circles is placed in the overlap between them.
Venn Diagram Example
The following Venn diagram explores the relationship between different shapes.
In this example, blue shapes must be put in the first circle, and shapes with curved sides must be placed in the second.
Let’s take a look at our shapes.
These shapes must be sorted into the relevant sections of the Venn diagram.
Shapes that are not blue and do not have curved sides cannot be sorted onto the diagram, so the red square and the green hexagon are excluded.
Now that we have excluded the shapes that do not fit either rule, the rest can be sorted into the Venn diagram.
Shapes that fit both rules must be placed in the middle.
This is a good example of how Venn diagrams can organize shapes, but they can be used to explore the relationships between various things.
They can even be used to find similarities and differences in the animal kingdom.
Who Invented Venn Diagrams?
Venn diagrams are named after their creator, John Venn, an English mathematician specializing in probability and statistics. Venn first revealed his invention in a paper published in 1880.
In the article, Venn calls his diagram “Eulerian Circles” about an earlier visual diagram invented by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler.
John Venn is also known for his pioneering work in computer science.
