Using ExcelUsing ExcelUsing ExcelUsing Excel

To help with dataTo help with data

• Excel is a spreadsheet program that can interface with Word, or PowerPoint

• A spreadsheet program has cells (little blocks) that we can put information and then relate the cells to each other.

• We can add text, numbers, or calculations

• To open Excel, click on the X in the menu bar

• Notice across the top are letters, and along the left side are numbers

• Each cell has its own address such as C14

• Let’s start by typing “Distribution of Hair Color by Class” in B4

• Create a table as shown

• Click and hold the mouse on cell B5 and drag it to E9. There should be a block surrounding B5-E9

•Click on Outline and Inside to place borders around the cells

• It may be important to know how many students there were total. – Click on E10 and type “=SUM(“ – You can now drag a box around all

the cells you want to add up. Drag from C6 to E9

– Type “)” to close the parentheses– Press the Enter key

• Total students should show as 82

• Let’s average each type of hair color– Click on F6 and type “=AVERAGE(“

and drag a box from C6 to E6– Type “)” to close the parentheses– Press the Enter key

Pretty Cool huh?

• Instead of typing that for each hair color, let’s copy the formula. The program will automatically adjust for the other rows.– Click in F6 – Click “Edit” from the menu at the top– Click “Copy”

– Drag a box around the empty cells F7 to F9– Click “Edit” then “Paste”

• Make a column that totals each of the hair types from G6 to G9

• This is discrete data that requires what kind of chart?– That’s right, a bar chart– In Excel, they call it a column chart

• Highlight G6-G9• Click “Charts”• In the ovals, choose “Column” by

clicking on it• Choose the “Clustered Column” which is

the first choice of pictures of the charts

• OK, you should have a chart now, but we need to clean it up.

• Click on the graph• Click on Format • Click on “Chart Title” and

“Title Above Chart”• Type “Hair Color

• Click on “Axis Titles” and choose “Horizontal (Category) Axis

• Click on “Title Below Axis”• Type “Hair Color”

• Click on “Axis Titles” and choose “Vertical Axis Title”

• Click on “Rotated Title”• Type “Count”

• Right Click on the numbers that are on the X-axis to bring up a pop-up menu (or hold Control and click the numbers)

• Choose “Select Data …”

• Click the icon (square) at the bottom, right labeled “Category (X) axis labels:”

• Click on “Black” in the worksheet• Click and drag B6 to B9• A box should be drawn around the

various hair colors• Press “Enter”• Click “OK”

• We can manipulate the data now and the chart will change accordingly

• Highlight from B6 to G9• Click “Data” from the top menu• Click “Sort”• Sort by “Column G” and click “Descendin

g ”• Look what happened to the graph

• Let’s copy the graph into a Word document

• Click on the “W ” for Word in the menu at the bottom of the screen

• When Word opens up, move the window to the right until you can see the Excel sheet a little bit

• Type “Distribution of Hair Color by Class” at the top of the Word document

• Press the enter key

• Click on any part of the Excel spreadsheet to view it.

• Click on the graph once so it is enclosed by a box

• Click “Edit” then “Copy”

• Click on the Word document and click “Edit” then “Paste”

• You now have the graph in Word.

How Awesome is that?!