5.8 Chart Facts

Change Chart Type

This button allows you to change your chart to another type.

Recommend Charts

This button shows a list of chart types that would best fit your data. If you don't know what kind of chart to use, this is a good place to start.

Chart Elements

Use this button to add or remove details from your chart. It controls the chart title, axis titles, gridlines, and other features.

Scatter Charts

are used to show the correlation between two variables. One example of this would be a graph showing the relationship between daily high temperature and ice cream sales.

Chart Legend

helps users to interpret the data on the chart.

Change Colors

opens the Change Colors gallery, where you can choose from several pre-defined color groups.

Insert Chart Dialog Box

opens the Insert Chart dialog box, where you can choose any of Excel's chart configurations for your data and customize your charts.

Chart Styles gallery contains

several pre-formatted chart styles that automatically format the background and chart elements.

Chart Title

should be short and descriptive. You can change the chart title by clicking the text.

Line Charts

should only be used to show change over time, measured in even intervals. A line chart would be appropriate for showing the value of a home for the past twenty years.

Pie Charts

show how several parts add up to create a whole. If you want to show how many employees work in each department of a company, you may consider using a pie chart.

Select Data

t's usually best to select your chart data before creating a chart. However, there may be times when you want to add data to an existing chart. To do this, use the Select Data button. This will bring up a dialog box where you can choose what data you want to add to your chart.

Plot Area

the area of your chart where your data is graphed. It can be resized or moved within the chart.

Data Source

this is the worksheet data that is used to create the table. In Image 2, the purple data is used to form the x-axis, the blue data is used to make the two lines, and the red data is used to name the two groups.

Horizontal Axis Title

title along the bottom of the chart

Vertical Axis Title

title alongside the chart

Chart Styles

used to change the look and feel of your chart. You can also use this button to change your chart's colors.

Column or Bar Chart

used when your data fall into distinct, independent categories. For example, a column chart could show how many people voted for each candidate in an election.