Graphing Data with MS Excel – A Brief Overview



Graphing Data with MS Excel – A Brief Overview

1. From the Start menu, click on MS Excel.

2. Enter your x-values (average time) in column A.

3. Enter your corresponding y-values (distance) in column B.

4. Use the mouse to “highlight” the data in these columns.

5. Click on the “Chart Wizard” on the top toolbar.

6. Click “XY (Scatter)” under “Chart Type.” Then click “Next.”

7. Select the “Series” tab and type in the name of your vehicle.

8. Click “Next” again.

9. Type “Position vs Time” under “Chart Title.”

10. Type “Time, sec” under “Value (x) axis.”

11. Type “Distance, m” under “Value (y) axis.”

12. Select the “Axes” tab. Make sure “Value (x) axis” and “Value (y) axis” are both selected.

13. Select the “Gridlines” tab. Select major and/or minor gridlines on either axis if desired.

14. Select the “Legend” tab. You probably do not wish to show the legend, unless you have given the series a name or you have more than one series.

15. Select the “Data labels” tab. You probably do not wish to show data labels.

16. Click “Next”. Then click “Finish”. You should now see your graph.

17. Click on a point on the graph. Points in that series should be highlighted.

18. Now go to “Chart” and “Add Trendline.” If the graph appears to be a straight line, choose “Linear” under “Type.”

19. Under “Options,” choose “display equation” and “display R-squared value” on chart. You may also want to choose “set intercept = 0” if you know (0,0) is an actual data point.

20. Make sure the graph is selected by clicking on it. Now click “File” and “Print” and “OK” from the top pull down menu.

21. The graph should print to that computer’s default printer. You may need to save and/or send your data/graphs to your e-mail address in order to print.

22. You may repeat this same procedure for your other graphs, but let your graph titles reflect the differences in data being graphed.

23. It is also possible to place the data from both vehicles on the same graph. You can enter the data from the second vehicle in columns C and D.

• After selecting “XY (Scatter)” as the graph type, you will then see a graph and a “series” list.

• You should click on and remove “Series 3”. You must then select Series 2 and change the x and y data ranges from A to C and C to D.

• You can type in the names of each vehicle in the series name box. This will show as a legend on your graph.

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