Name : Tatiana “Tania” Harrison Office : 216 Phone number: CWU page: Syllabus Name : Tatiana “Tania” Harrison Office : 216 Phone number: CWU page: Syllabus

Microsoft Excel 2010

 Column Chart is one of the most commonly used chart type and is used to show the changes in data over a period of time or illustrate comparisons among items.  Line Graphs are mainly used to plot changes in data over time. The best example of this chart type can be the weekly change in temperature.  Pie Chart is very useful when you wish to emphasize on a significant element in the data. It represents data in the form of a pie.

 Bar Graph illustrates comparisons among individual items.  Area Chart displays the magnitude of change over time.  Scatter Graphs and Line chart are almost similar, but the scatter graph is displayed with a scribble line whereas the line graph uses connected lines to display data.

 Surface Chart comes in handy if you are to determine the optimum combination between two sets of data.

 Chart Plot Area The area that is covered by a specific chart is called the chart plot area. By default Excel draws charts according to the default configuration, but its very easy to edit the plot area, simply right-click the chart and choose the Format Plot Area option. Now you will see a dialogue box which lets you set the chart’s fill style, borders, Glow and soft Edges, and 3-D effects. Embedded Charts and Chart Sheets You can create a chart on it’s own chart sheet or on a worksheet. In both ways the chart is linked to the source data on the worksheet, which means the chart is updated when you update the worksheet data. In order to set the chart to change while the values of some particular cells changes, right-click the chart and choose the Select Data option, and then select, and add the fields that you wish to include in this process.

 Enter your data. A line graph requires two axes in order to function. Enter your data into two columns. For ease of remembering, set your X-axis data (time) in the left column and your recorded observations in the right column. For example, tracking a sports team’s wins would see the year in the left column, and the corresponding number of wins in the right.

 Click Insert. Under the Charts heading there will be an option for Line Graphs. Select it. A blank graph field will appear in your spreadsheet. There will be several options for line graphs. If you have a lot of data points, choose a standard line graph. If you only have a small number of data points, choose the Line with Markers graph, as it will highlight each piece of data on the line.

Select your data. When you click on the chart, the Chart Design menu will open. Under the Data heading, click on Select Data. The Select Data Source window will open up. Select the Chart Data Range field. With the cursor in this field, highlight your collected data column, including the header name. This will create you line, and label it correctly.

Under Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels, click the Edit button. Select the time column. This will change the x-axis labels to properly reflect the data.

You can edit the visual appearance of the chart by right-clicking on the chart and selecting Format Chart Area … This will give you options on line sizes and colors. You can do the same with each individual element of the chart by right- clicking and selecting the Format option.

You can change your chart title by clicking on the title once to select it, and then again to activate the text cursor. By default, the title is the same as the label for your data.

You can resize your chart by clicking and holding a corner with your mouse. Drag the mouse to resize the chart

Use the Layout menu to adjust your chart’s visual elements. You can change many different aspects of your chart through the Layout menu. You can insert an explanatory text box, or place pictures on the chart to highlight the data points Click chart – Chart Tools ->Layout-> Data Labels > More Data Label Options

You can use the Layout menu to adjust where the legend shows up, and how the axes are labeled.

You can also choose from several preset layouts in the Design menu.

Adding Another Set of Data Enter your data. To create a second series, enter the data into your spreadsheet as you did in the first section. The data should line up with the same time values as the first set. After you finish you should have three equal columns.

Click your chart. Then click Select Data under the Data heading. The Select Data Source window will open again.

Under Legend Entries (Series), click the Add button.

In the Series name field, select the cell with the heading name for your second set of data.

In the Series values field, select the cells that contain your new data. This field needs to have an "=" sign in front of it or Excel will return an error.

Press OK. You will be taken back to the Select Data Source window. Your new line will appear on the chart. To Add/Modify Title: On the Chart Tools Layout tab, click the Chart Title button in the Labels group.