Timelines are an effective way of graphically organizing happenings of any type. They are usually used to represent events in human history or prehistoric times. Among many purposes, they can be used to keep records of a specific country or town's histories or by any individual to track occurrences in his own life. Four major types of timelines can be used.
Chronology Timeline
A chronology timeline is a horizontal timeline that represents the progression of time. The beginning of the line has the earliest date, with the end the most recent. A chronology timeline can cover any amount of time, from intervals of a few minutes to a billion years or more.
Living Graph
A living graph is similar to a chronology timeline in that it shows the progression of time. However, its design is not solely horizontal. Living graphs illustrate the impact of each event by heightening the positive events and lowering the negative events, so the line is rather jagged in appearance.
Logarithmic Timeline
Logarithmic timelines were the results of trying to fit a lot of information into a chronological timeline. Logarithmic timelines were invented by Heinz von Foerster, who was trying to organize world history but realized that with this type of graphic the closer he got to the present, the more events he could add. This style timeline allows for the creator to show the sparse beginning of history to the detailed recent events.
Detailed Logarithmic Timeline
A detailed logarithmic timeline is arranged as a vertical table in which the earliest event is at the top and the most recent at the bottom. This kind of timeline works well in displays of the history of the universe, the development of life on Earth and the accomplishments and wars of mankind until the present.
Synchronoptic View
A synchronoptic view is a graphic display of entities as they progress through time. It is best used for historical events. With this type of display, a number of timelines can be drawn on one page to show events of lives or cultures that are not connected. Multiple life timelines or event timelines of different cultures can be displayed at once to show events that happened at the same time in different places.
Tags: chronology timeline, Logarithmic timelines, Logarithmic timelines were, most recent, progression time, show events
