How to plot a data set

You need to know how to use Excel to plot data that you have entered (or calculated) in a
worksheet. This appears to be a daunting task at first, but if you follow the steps below a
few times it will become automatic. Let's plot the data table above.

1. Enter your data onto a worksheet as shown in the above screen shot. If you pay
attention to the title and column headings now, it will prevent confusion when you
come back to the worksheet later.

2. Select all you have entered including the titles. Then click in the main menu on
INSERT. A Chart Ribbon will open. Choose the XY (Scatter) button.
(DISPERSION)

3. Then select the sub-type that does not connect data points with lines or smooth
curves.
 4. The graph will appear on the same page as the data (as shown below).

If you decide to print the graph as a new sheet, simply right-click (ctrl-click on a Mac) on
the Chart Area, select MOVE CHART, and a window will open allowing you to set the
chart in the current page, or into a new page.

Adding a trend line to the plot

To add the trend line, click on one of the data points on the graph to select them, then right
click (CTL-click on Mac) to open a contextual menu, then select Add Trend line from the
menu. It should be under Tools of the graph.
 Click Analysis. And then choose trend line.

It is possible with Excel to add trend lines other than linear ones. For example, you may
choose logarithmic, exponential, polynomial, power series, or a moving average, depending
on the trend(s) displayed by the data.
.

To display the equation and R-squared value on the graph, click Analysis, on the Options
tab (mas opciones de la linea tendencia). Then place check marks in the appropriate
boxes. When the OK button is pressed the best fit line is drawn and the equation of the line
and R-squared value will be displayed on the graph. You may move the equation by
clicking and dragging it to the desired location.

The R-squared value is actually the square of the correlation coefficient. The correlation
coefficient, R, gives us a measure of the reliability of the linear relationship between the x
and y values. A value of R = 1 indicates an exact linear relationship between x and y.
Values of R close to 1 indicate excellent linear reliability. If the correlation coefficient is
relatively far away from 1, the predictions based on the linear relationship, y = mx + b, will
be less reliable.
To display the axes labels, open the ¨hermanitas de graficos¨ click Presentacion, and
then click ¨ritulos del eje¨ and then enter the horizontal axis title and same for y-axis.
Altering the look of a displayed equation

You might find it odd that the equation displayed on the graph is y = 1.07x + 0.024 After
all, we did not measure y's and x's, but rather we measured protein concentration and
absorbance. You should always change the displayed equation to match your measured
variables!

 To change the equation, simply click on the equation and change the variables.
 By doing this step, you are in essence telling your instructor that you really do
understand what was actually measured and how well the experimental data
matched the theory.

The final result of your efforts is a graph that looks something like the following:
This is certainly adequate for your personal notes but it would not receive much
credit if it were submitted as part of a lab report. Read the section of the style
manual on graphs and adjust the appearance of your graphs to comply with it.

1. Remove the grid lines. Click on any grid line and press the delete key

2. Remove the graph pane shading. Right click (control click on the Mac) on the graph
pane and select format plot area and finally select no fill.

3. I always delete the default legend box. With just one set of data on the graph, the
legend is not useful. Even with more than one series, the information in the legend
box is more appropriately in the text of the legend below the graph and you can
simply copy its contents and paste them into the legend text box below the graph
pane. To delete it, simply click on it and press the <DELETE> key

4. Remove the title and replace it with a written legend including the figure number,
title, and description of the graph. The default Excel graph is not intended for
presentation in a scientific report, but rather as a presentation graphic for projection.
The easiest way to add a proper scientific legend to a stand alone Excel graph is to
insert a text box. This can be done from the drawing toolbar. Click on the text box
icon as indicated below and draw a box under the graph pane. Type your legend in
the box and adjust the size and position to suit your text. It may be necessary to

click on the graph pane and readjust its height to accommodate the box.
Note that it is also possible to change the font style and size of the titles and
headings.Exel assumes that your graphs will be used for projected presentation and
the default fonts are to large to look appropriate in a written report. If your graph is
to be incorporated into a lab report it would be appropriate to change these to match
the rest of the report. Simply right (control) click on a title or axis and select font.
You can now change the font