Using Excel to Make Graphs

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Using Excel to Make Graphs
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Uses for Biology Teachers

• Easy way for students to visualize the data they
  collect in labs.
• Graphs can be easily analyzed.
• Graphs can be cut and pasted into lab reports.
• Many different situation where making labs would
  be useful, i.e. temperature change, population
  changes, rainfall differences/changes, growth of
  plants, and many more!

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X-Y Graph in Excel
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Steps to Create an X-Y Graph in Excel

• Very easy
• Fill in a column with your data
• Highlight the data you want in the graph
• Click on chart wizard (has a bar graph icon) on
  tool bar.
• Go through the steps of the wizard!

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More data? No worries!
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Add a new line easy peasy

• Fill column with data
• Right click on graph
• Go to Source Data
• Click on series
• Click on Add under series
• Where is says name click on icon to right
• Click on cell with name of data series on graph
• Then click on icon to right of values
• Then highlight column with graph values
• Click ok!

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Want to rename the x-axis categories?
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No Worries!

• Just fill months, days, years, whatever into a
  column
• Right click on graph
• Click on Source Data
• Go to series
• Where is says x-category labels click on the icon
  to the right
• Then highlight the column with the names entered
• Click ok!

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Formatting the Graph

• Lines
• Symbols
• Axes
• Plot Area
• Gridlines
• Can all be formatted by simply right clicking on
  the object you want to format and choosing format
  (insert what you desire to format here, i.e.
  format axes)

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Want to add tick marks, a key, or title to your
graph?
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Not a problem!

• Right click on the axis where you want them
• Go to patterns
• Choose your style!

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Want to find the formula of a line?
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To find the formula of a straight line

• Double click on the line
• Right click on the line once it is highlighted
• Go to format trendline
• In the options section, click on the box that
  reads display formula on chart!
• Click okay!

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Common Pitfalls

• Very difficult to plot a line using a formula?
• Microsoft Excel help is not a big help never
  gives you the information you actually need.
• Remember to highlight cells with data you want
  included before clicking on graph wizard.
• Be sure to realize that the data you want for the
  x-axis and the y-axis are in the corresponding
  areas when going through the wizard steps so
  graph comes out correctly.