What does a bar chart typically represent?

A bar chart is designed to visually represent categorical data. It displays this data using rectangular bars, where each bar's length or height is proportional to the value it represents. This makes it easy to compare different categories side by side. In a bar chart, each category is distinct and is typically labeled along one axis, while the other axis indicates the value or frequency associated with each category.

This visual format allows viewers to quickly ascertain which categories are larger or smaller compared to others, which is a key feature of bar charts. The use of bars also helps in emphasizing differences between discrete categories rather than illustrating trends over a continuous range, which is more characteristic of line graphs or histograms.

The other options describe different types of data representation that do not accurately convey the primary purpose of a bar chart. Continuous data or frequency distributions might be better suited for line graphs or histograms, while percentage shares are often represented in pie charts or stacked bar charts. Therefore, the correct answer clearly highlights the primary function of bar charts in presenting categorical data.