Study Guide: Spreadsheets - Create any charts or graphs

It is often desirable and necessary to produce a chart to graphically present the data that you have created in your spreadsheet. When creating a chart, you must first decide what figures the chart is to display and which cells contain those figures. You have been requested to produce a chart that shows the percentage of change in majors declared by students as entering freshmen and their actual degrees. This information is to be reported by gender.

The data for this chart is located in cells F4:G6 and the labels for the data are located in cells A3:A6 and F3:G3. Select A3:A6. While pressing the Ctrl key on the keyboard, also select F3:G6. Compare your work with the following sample:

Click the Chart Wizard button or select Chart from the Insert menu. For Chart Type select Bar and click the Next button. Click the Next button again and enter ‘% of Change in Majors Between Entering Freshmen and Graduates’ as the Chart Title. Then click Finish.

Position the chart below the spreadsheet data by placing the mouse pointer in an empty area of the chart, for example - below the legend. Drag the chart down and over to cell A12.

Expand the width of the chart by dragging the handle (the small box on the center of the right side of the chart) out to the end of column G as shown below. When the mouse pointer is on the handle it will change to a small two-headed arrow.

Now make the chart taller by dragging the center handle on the bottom of the chart down to row 26. As you move the mouse down the screen will scroll down. Your finished chart should appear similar to the sample below:

Remember to save your work.