jennerr@darwin.ntu.edu.au (Bob Jenner) (11/25/90)
In article <47510@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> v132gcnx@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John A Feinberg) writes: > three sets of points (0,0), (1,1), and (3,3), the three on the x-axis will be > the same distance from the 1 as the 1 is from the zero. As far as I'm concer- > ned, that makes the chart useless! What I would like is for Excel to 'know' > that the values on both the x and y axes are values, and not categories, and > to graph them properly. Is there any way to do this? Otherwise I'll be stuck > with an antiquated graphing program! This is a pretty common problem with spreadsheets. One solution is to enter an equation which interpolates between 2 and 3 ie. include another column which takes the average of the values each side - even better, paste the table into CricketGraph ( a great, cheap product). Regards, Bob Jenner, Northern Territory University Computing Dep't ITAFE PO Box 40146, Casuarina NT Australia 0811 Tel 089-466397
v132gcnx@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John A Feinberg) (11/26/90)
I'm learning how to use Excel 2.2, and I've run across what I consider to be a rather major problem. I would like to use Excel to make numerical graphs. From what I see, what would be the x-axis in a graph is the 'category' axis in an Excel chart. The category axis consists of just that; categories. If I have three sets of points (0,0), (1,1), and (3,3), the three on the x-axis will be the same distance from the 1 as the 1 is from the zero. As far as I'm concer- ned, that makes the chart useless! What I would like is for Excel to 'know' that the values on both the x and y axes are values, and not categories, and to graph them properly. Is there any way to do this? Otherwise I'll be stuck with an antiquated graphing program! John Feinberg SUNY Buffalo
aslakson@cs.umn.edu (Brian Aslakson) (11/27/90)
Someone wants to do x,y graphs in Excel. Ugh. You have to have the x and y data next to each other, x to the left, and select both sets of numbers and "Copy". Start a new graph, then "Paste Special", click the box that says "Catagories in First Column" and click "Okay". I just tried it and it worked just like that. I used "Scatter" for my type, I have a feeling "Pie" won't work as well. For x,y graphs, Excel sucks. For x,y,z graphs, go fish. -- Brian Aslakson aslakson@cs.umn.edu mac-admin@cs.umn.edu <-= Macintosh related
pac@stl.stc.co.uk (Paul Cooper) (11/27/90)
>> What I would like is for Excel to 'know' >> that the values on both the x and y axes are values, and not categories, and >> to graph them properly. Is there any way to do this? Otherwise I'll be >> stuck with an antiquated graphing program! >One solution is to >enter an equation which interpolates between 2 and 3 ie. include another >column which takes the average of the values each side - even better, >paste the table into CricketGraph ( a great, cheap product). An even _better_ solution is to use the method buried deep in the Excel manual. I don't have the page number to hand but I think it is under "Scatter Chart". The basic method is as follows: 1) select data 2) Copy 3) New... Chart 4) Paste special... 5) click on "Categories in first column" check box 6) Scatter... from Gallery menu This is a common type of chart. Why make it so awkward, Microsoft? Regards, Paul Cooper (P.A.Cooper@stl.stc.co.uk) - ICL Europe
jay@ut-emx.uucp (Jay Boisseau) (11/27/90)
In article <1990Nov26.170159.24659@cs.umn.edu>, aslakson@cs.umn.edu (Brian Aslakson) writes: > Someone wants to do x,y graphs in Excel. Ugh. You have to have the x and > y data next to each other, x to the left, and select both sets of numbers > and "Copy". Start a new graph, then "Paste Special", click the box that says > "Catagories in First Column" and click "Okay". I just tried it and it worked > just like that. > I used "Scatter" for my type, I have a feeling "Pie" won't work as well. > > For x,y graphs, Excel sucks. For x,y,z graphs, go fish. > Actually, the columns don't have to be consecutive--I used to think so as well, but somebody on the net corrected me. You select the x column first, and then select the other column while holding down either the option key or the command key (I don't have Excel handy here, or I would tell you for sure--I am almost positive it is the option key). If you are really dissatisfied with Excel for plotting, I recommend Delta- Graph. It is much more powerful than CricketGraph (and only a little more difficult to use), and it does excellent 3d graphs. It also imports Excel files directly. Jay Boisseau jay@emx.utexas.edu
mlloyd@maths.tcd.ie (Michael Lloyd) (11/27/90)
In article <47510@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> v132gcnx@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu writes: >I'm learning how to use Excel 2.2, and I've run across what I consider to be >a rather major problem. I would like to use Excel to make numerical graphs. >From what I see, what would be the x-axis in a graph is the 'category' axis in >an Excel chart. The category axis consists of just that; categories. If I have >three sets of points (0,0), (1,1), and (3,3), the three on the x-axis will be >the same distance from the 1 as the 1 is from the zero. This is a genuine problem, but not insurmountable. What you need to do is make a Scatterplot of the data, which is anything but fun in Excel. Once you`ve got it, you can ask (via Gallery...) for a connecting line or what have you. The procedure is as follows: (God, how many times have I had to tell people this?) Select the data - both columns. Copy. New Chart (which will be _blank_ if you copied) Paste _SPECIAL_, which produces a dialog box. Make sure "Categories in First Column" option is ON. You now have a chart which, if you use Gallery menu, Scatter..., will have the form you require. Beaut, huh? Now what was that about ease of use? >John Feinberg >SUNY Buffalo Hope that sorts it out. Mike. Mike Lloyd ! Dept of Statistics ! "Cogito, ergo Chico & Zeppo" Trinity College Dublin ! - Tonio Krikorian mlloyd@maths.tcd.ie !
pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au (11/29/90)
In article <47510@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v132gcnx@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John A Feinberg) writes: > I'm learning how to use Excel 2.2, and I've run across what I consider to be > a rather major problem. I would like to use Excel to make numerical graphs. > From what I see, what would be the x-axis in a graph is the 'category' axis in > an Excel chart. The category axis consists of just that; categories. If I have > three sets of points (0,0), (1,1), and (3,3), the three on the x-axis will be > the same distance from the 1 as the 1 is from the zero. As far as I'm concer- > ned, that makes the chart useless! What I would like is for Excel to 'know' > that the values on both the x and y axes are values, and not categories, and > to graph them properly. Is there any way to do this? Otherwise I'll be stuck > with an antiquated graphing program! > > John Feinberg Firstly, RTFM! (i.e. read the manual) Secondly, if you had read the manual, you would have found that the entry bar description of the plot shown has the following form: series(a,b,c,d) a: the title for the graph b: the x-axis vector (eg. column a, rows 1 to 200) c: the y-axis vector d: the line type Thirdly: excel is not the best program to do plots in - I should know, since I have been using it for 6 months now (to do scientific x versus y plots). Instead, use Kaleidagraph or Igor or even Cricket Graph or Trapeze. *====*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===* Phil Ryan ANU Department of Physics and Theoretical Physics Canberra, Australia pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au phone:(61 6) 249 4678 fax:(61 6) 249 0741
geoff@pmafire.inel.gov (Geoff Allen) (12/01/90)
mlloyd@maths.tcd.ie (Michael Lloyd) writes: |The procedure is as follows: (God, how many times have I had to tell people |this?) | |Select the data - both columns. |Copy. |New Chart (which will be _blank_ if you copied) |Paste _SPECIAL_, which produces a dialog box. Make sure "Categories in First |Column" option is ON. |You now have a chart which, if you use Gallery menu, Scatter..., will have |the form you require. | |Beaut, huh? Now what was that about ease of use? And to think that Microsoft has taken out big two-page ads in all the magazines asking people to tell them what they're doing wrong with Excel.... :^) -- Geoff Allen \ Computers are useless. uunet!pmafire!geoff \ They can only give you answers. geoff@pmafire.inel.gov \ -- Pablo Picasso