HOW TO MAKE A SCATTER PLOT IN MICROSOFT EXCEL

Transcription

1 HOW TO MAKE A SCATTER PLOT IN MICROSOFT EXCEL SUONG NGUYEN TECHNICAL WRITING March 11, 2016

2 INTRODUCTION This tutorial is intended for users with little or beginner knowledge of Microsoft Excel. In this tutorial, we will learn how to construct a basic scatter plot 1 using the computer software, Microsoft Excel. We will also add a trendline 2 and its equation to the plot so that further analysis can be conducted if necessary. The completion of this tutorial can be done in under ten minutes, if everything goes as predicted. Learning how to plot data can come in handy when trying to understand trends in every day life. For example, plots can help us understand where we spend most of our money if we categorized our purchases under food, education, work, etc. That way, we can see where to cut back in order to better our finances in the long run. LIST OF MATERIALS! Laptop or computer that! Microsoft Excel Software can operate Microsoft Excel 2

3 Good grouping of steps into stages Starting up Microsoft Excel 1.! Turn on laptop or computer 2.! Open/Start Microsoft Excel Software 3.! Select Blank Workbook icon shown in Figure 1 Warning: This option may not be available for older versions of Microsoft Excel. If option not available, refer to Troubleshooting Step 1. Figure 1 "Blank Workbook" icon Entering Data into Excel Worksheet 4.! Establish the X and Y axis by labeling the columns. This will help identify the two different axis. The X column should contain your independent 3 variable, and your Y column should contain your dependent 4 variable. Figure 2 Establishing columns for X and Y axis.

4 5.! Enter a set of numbers from 0 to 10 in increments of 0.1 for each X and Y axis. This data set will give the plot for the equation x=y. Warning: Make sure that numbers are entered correctly in order to avoid creating an incorrect plot. Figure 3 Data input for X and Y axis Creating the Scatter Plot 6.! Select columns X and Y, where data is present. Warning: Make sure all data points are selected. Data points not selected will not appear on the plot. Figure 4 Selected data points for the scatter plot 4

5 7.! Once data is selected, click on the Insert Tab as seen in Figure 5. Figure 5 Main menu bar for Microsoft Excel Warning: This menu bar might not be available depending on your version of Microsoft Excel. In this case, refer to Troubleshooting Step 2, then skip to Step 9. 8.! Find the icon with data points on an X-Y Plot, then click on Scatter as seen in Figure 6 below. Figure 6 Icons that should be selected in order to create Scatter Plot 5

6 STATUS UPDATE: The result after Step 8 is shown in Figure 7 below: Figure 7 Scatter plot after completing the first 8 steps Naming the Scatter Plot & Labeling its Axis 9.! Double click on Chart Data to rename the scatter plot to your liking. and Primary Vertical title to Y-axis. This step is shown in Figure 8 below. 10.!Under the Chart Design Tab, click on the upper left icon and hover down to Axis Titles in order to add Primary Horizontal title to the X Axis 11.!Once the titles are added, double click on their text boxes to rename the axis to your liking 6

7 Figure 8 Steps to add Axis Titles to Scatter Plot STATUS UPDATE: The result after Step 11 is shown in Figure 9 below: Figure 9 Result of Scatter Plot once Axis Titles were added and renamed Adding Trendline & Equation to Plot 12.!Click on one of the data points on the Scatter Plot and right click 13.!Select Add Trendline as seen in Figure 10.

8 Figure 10 Right clicking on data point in order to add Trendline. 14.!Make sure the Linear Option is selected under Trendline Options as seen in Figure !Select Display equation on chart under the Trendline Options menu as seen in Figure 12. Figure 12 Selecting diplay equation on chart under Trendline Options Menu Figure 11 Linear option selected under Trendline Options Menu

9 STATUS UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS!! You have successfully created your first Scatter Plot and added its Trendline and Equation on Microsoft Excel. Your end result should look like Figure 13 below. Figure 13 Final Product of Scatter Plot with Trendline and Equation 9

10 TROUBLE SHOOTING Remember: It is important to know the version of Microsoft Excel that your computer or laptop presently operates. These steps may not be accurate if your version of Microsoft Excel software is older than this instruction set s version: 2015 Step 1: For Microsoft Excel versions older than 2015, a new workbook could be created by find the menu bar and clicking File at the top left-hand corner, then selecting New Workbook. The menu bar is shown below: Step 2: For Microsoft Excel versions older than 2015, look for the main menu bar at the very top of the screen, as shown below: Click on Insert then Chart then X Y (Scatter Plot 10

11 GLOSSARY 1 Plot: a graph showing the relation between two variables: a diagram, chart, or map. 2 Trendline: a line indicating the general course or tendency of something, e.g., a geographical feature or a set of points on a graph. 3 Independent Variable: a variable (often denoted by x) whose variation does not depend on that of another. An example of an independent variable is Time. 4 Dependent Variable: a variable (often denoted by y) whose value depends on that of another. An example of a dependent variable is the amount of money made over time. 11

12 USER PERSONA Purpose to teach a beginner how to create a scatter plot with trendline and equation User Little or beginner's knowledge of Microsoft Excel Desire to learn basics of Microsoft Excel software in order to expand on knowledge in the future. Familiar with how to use computers and/or laptops Basic knowledge of technical terms User Motivation Learn how to plot data so that trends can be easily studied and observed. Easily organize data on a single plot Learn a new software: Microsoft Excel 12

13 EMPATHY MAP Happy Good Laughter Scatter Plot Trendline Equation This is easy enough Trouble shooting problems Understanding of Scatter Plot Microsoft Excel 13

14 EXPERT ADVICE Give examples of an independent and dependent variable. Use circles and arrows on the figures to point out what you want the user to do. Give more updates so the user knows they are on the right track. Steven Nguyen 14