Purpose Charts and graphs are used in business to communicate and clarify spreadsheet information. convert spreadsheet information into a format that can be quickly and easily analyzed. make the spreadsheet information easier to understand. create a visual representation of the data.
Purpose Charts and graphs make the spreadsheet information easier to understand. create a visual representation of the data
Whereas spreadsheet data is often filled with numbers, labels, and values that require time- consuming analysis.... Spreadsheet Data Chart a chart emphasizes and categories the spreadsheet information into a format that can be quickly and easily analyzed.
Business Uses of Charts and Graphs Represent sales trends within different departments of a store Represent the contribution of individual employee sales to the total sales for a company Represent the percent of each expense to total expenses Analyze stock prices and explain the fluctuations to stockholders Each of these uses requires a different type of chart.
Six Common Types of Charts and Graphs Column Chart Stacked Bar Chart Line Graph XY Scatter Graph Pie Chart Exploded Pie Chart
Column Chart
Column Chart Description: Series of vertical columns each representative of a data series Best Used For Making comparisons about groups of data
Column Chart This column chart compares the sales of different kinds of fiction books. It compares the sales of Young Adult, Classics, Mystery, Romance and SciFi & Fantasy books.
Stacked Bar Chart
Stacked Bar Chart Description Series of horizontal or vertical bars each divided into two or more parts Each bar represents the contributions of one data group to the whole Best Used For Comparing the contribution of individual items to the whole Useful when you have more than one data series or category of information
Stacked Bar Chart This stacked bar chart shows the number of Olympic medals earned by each country. There are 3 data series: Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. There are 12 categories (the countries). This graph shows how each type of medal contributes to the total number of medals each country won.
Line Graph
Line Graph Description Series of data points connected by horizontal lines, each representing a series of data Best Used for: Comparing trends over a period of time
Line Graph This line graph tracks the speed of a race car after a certain amount of time. What trend do you see?
XY Scatter Graph
XY Scatter Graph Description A graph of plotted points that show the relationship between two sets of data. Best Used For Showing a relationship or correlation between two sets of data The effect of one on the other
XY Scatter Graph This XY scatter graph shows the relationship between the amount spent on advertising and sales volume. What is the effect of the advertising budget on the sales volume?
Pie Chart
Pie Chart Description A pie chart is a circular chart divided into sectors, each sector shows the relative size of each value. Represents only one data series Best Used For Indicating the relationship of one data series to the whole Showing parts to the whole, proportions, or percentages.
Pie Chart This pie chart shows the percentage of each letter grade earned for the last test taken. Each part of the pie represents a letter grade for ONE test so there is only one data series. What grade did the most students earn?
Exploded Pie Chart
Pie Chart Description An enhanced version of a pie chart Best Used For Emphasizing one or more portions of data
Exploded Pie Chart This exploded pie chart emphasizes the piece of the pie with the largest percentage.
X Axis bottom horizontal side of the graph X Axis Labels category information X Axis Title describes the X axis
X axis X axis Title X axis Label
Y Axis left vertical side of the graph Y Axis Labels contains the numerical data Y Axis Title describes the Y axis
Y axis Title Y axis Label Y axis
Chart Title The Chart Title the main heading describes the purpose and content of the chart.
Chart Title
Legend Legend A key that identifies patterns, colors, or symbols associated with the markers of a chart data series.
Legend
Plot Area Plot area background portion of the graph area where Excel plots your data the rectangular area bound by the category (X) and values (Y) axes.
Plot Area
Gridlines Gridlines horizontal or vertical lines across the plot area of the graph help clarify the data by making it easier to read and understand the data values
Grid lines
Data Series Data Series a group of related values, such as all the values in a single row in the chart
Data Series
Data Series Each green bar represents the data series for Romance books. The other bar colors represent the data series for other types of books. There are 5 data series in the graph. Data Series
Data Labels Data Labels help identify the values shown in each data point of the data series
Data Series and Data Labels Data Labels Data Series
Data Labels Data Labels
Data Markers Data marker A symbol on the chart that represents a single value in the worksheet. must represent values may be a bar in a bar chart, a pie slice in a pie chart, or a line on a line chart Data markers with the same shape or pattern represent a single data series in the chart.
Data Marker and Tick Marks Bicycle and Race Car Speeds Data Marker
Tick Marks Tick mark A small line intersecting an axis. indicates a category, scale, or chart data series. can have a label attached used in a graph to clarify the data categories or values.
Data Marker and Tick Marks Bicycle and Race Car Speeds Tick Marks
Label the Components of Charts and Graphs Bicycle and Race Car Speeds Bicycle and Race Car Speeds
Check Your Answers
Y axis Label Chart Title Grid lines Y axis Title Y axis Data Series Legend Plot Area X axis X axis Title X axis Label
Data Marker and Tick Marks Bicycle and Race Car Speeds Data Marker Tick Marks
Data Series and Data Labels Data Labels Data Series
Embedded Chart A chart that appears on the same sheet as the spreadsheet it represents.
Separate Chart A chart that does not appear on the same sheet as the spreadsheet it represents.
Linked Chart A chart that will change to reflect changes made to the spreadsheet it represents. As changes are made to the EXCEL spreadsheet this chart inserted into this WORD document will also change because the chart is linked to the EXCEL spreadsheet.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Which component of a graph would make this graph easier to read?
Answer Grid lines
Which feature is used to indicate the sales amounts in the plot area?
Answer Data Labels
What feature should be added to explain the chart s purpose?
Answer Chart Title