Lesson 6 Graphs Week 5 - 6

Tan & Bongalos (2013) discussed the following in their book Brilliant Computing:

Types of Charts

Presenting data in a meaningful way is one of the best things you can do for your audience. Thus,
choosing the correct chart or graph to use is crucial in sending your message effectively to the people who
listen to you. Here is list of the commonly used charts that you can use in Excel.

1. Column Charts

Column charts are useful in showing data

changes over a period of time or for
illustrating comparisons among different
items.

In column charts, categories are typically

organized along the horizontal axis and
(https://www.excel-
values along the vertical axis.
easy.com/smi/examples/column-chart.png)

2. Line Charts

Line charts can display data over time, set

against a common scale, and are therefore
ideal for showing trends in data at equal
intervals. In a line chart, categories are
distributed evenly along the horizontal axis
and all values are distributed evenly along
the vertical axis.

(https://www.excel-easy.com/examples/images/line-
chart/line-chart.png)

3. Pie Charts

Pie charts show the size of items in one data

series, proportional to the sum of the items.
The data points in the pie chart are displayed
as a percentage of the whole pie.

(https://www.excel-
easy.com/examples/images/pie-chart/exploded-
slice.png)
St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 20
 4. Bar Charts

Bar charts illustrate comparisons

among individual items.

Consider using bar chart when:

1. The axis labels are long.
2. The values shown are durations
or large quantities.
(https://www.excel-easy.com/examples/images/bar-
chart/bar-chart.png)
5. Area Charts

Area charts emphasize the

magnitude of change over time and
can be used to draw attention to the
total value across a trend.

(https://www.excel-easy.com/smi/examples/area-
chart.png)
6. X, Y (Scatter) Charts

Scatter charts show the relation

among the numerical values in data
series, or plot two groups of numbers
as one series of x, y coordinates.

(https://www.excel-easy.com/smi/examples/scatter-
plot.png)

7. Stock Charts

Data that are arranged in

columns or rows in a specific
order on a worksheet can be
plotted in a stock chart. A stock
chart is most often used to
illustrate the fluctuation of stock
prices. However, this chart may
(https://peltiertech.com/images/2009-01/ohlc_2007_01.png)
also be used for scientific data.

St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 21

 8. Surface Charts

Surface chart can be used

when you want to find the
optimum combinations
between two sets of data. As in
topographic map, colors and
patterns indicate areas that are
in the same range of values.

(https://www.exceltip.com/wp-
content/uploads/2019/11/00352.png)

9. Doughnut Charts

Like a pie chart, a

doughnut chart shows the
relationship of parts to a
whole, but it contains more
than one data series.

(https://cdn.extendoffice.com/images/stories/doc-excel/doughnut-
chart/doc-doughnut-chart-4.png)

10. Bubble Charts

Data that are arranged in
columns on a worksheet such
that x values are listed in the
first column and corresponding
y values and bubble-size values
are listed in adjacent columns
can be plotted in a bubble
chart. (https://cdn.extendoffice.com/images/stories/doc-excel/bubble-with-
multiple-series/doc-bubble-with-multiple-series-2.png)

Create an Excel Chart

To create a chart, execute the following steps.

1. Select the data range you want to include in the chart. Include the headers.

St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 22

 2. On the Insert Tab, click the desired type of chart and select one of the subtypes.

Result:

Chart Title
200

150

100

50

0
Coke Spaghetti Sandwich

Quantity Unit Price Total

Modify Charts

After a chart is created, you may still edit and modify it by adding labels, changing colors, changing
the interval of values, and a lot more.

St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 23

 Switch Row/Column

If you want the years displayed on the legend to be displayed on the horizontal (category) axis instead,
perform the following steps.

1. Select the chart. The Chart Tools Contextual Tab activates.

2. On the Design Tab, click Switch Row/Column.

Result:
Chart Title
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Quantity Unit Price Total

Coke Spaghetti Sandwich

Add a Chart Title

To add a chart title, execute the following steps.

1. Select the chart. The Chart Tools Contextual Tab activates.
2. On the Design Tab, click Add Chart Element; click Chart Title Button; then, click ABOVE
CHART.

St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 24

 3. Enter the title. For example, you may type Philippine Regional Sales.

Result:

Philippine Regional Sales

200
150
100
50
0
Quantity Unit Price Total

Coke Spaghetti Sandwich

Change Legend Position

By default, the legend appears below the chart. To move the legend at the right of the chart, execute
the following steps.

1. Select the chart. The Chart Tools Contextual Tab activates.

2. On the Design Tab, click Add Chart Element; click Legend; then, click RIGHT.

St. Scholastica’s Academy Grade 9 - ICT Page 25

 Result:

Philippine Regional Sales

200

150 Coke

100 Spaghetti
Sandwich
50

0
Quantity Unit Price Total

Change Chart Type

You can easily change to a different type of chart at any time. Execute the following steps to achieve
this.

1. Select the chart. The Chart Tools Contextual Tab activates.

2. On the Design Tab, click CHANGE CHART TYPE. The Change Chart Type Dialog Box appears.
3. For this example, choose BAR and select STACKED BAR as subtype.

Result:

Philippine Regional Sales

Total Coke

Unit Price Spaghetti

Quantity Sandwich

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

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