Representing Visual Data in a Spreadsheet

Graphical Elements

A spreadsheet is a multipurpose software tool. Its functions enable you to collect and calculate different types of data. You can present these calculations visually with charts and graphs in a spreadsheet. You can display the information in the form of pie charts, line graphs, and so on. Your choice would depend on the data set with which you're working. Here are some of the types of charts and graphs used in spreadsheet programs. Pie chart: A pie chart displays the different sections of any data as parts of a pie. For example, you may need to display the number of people who speak different languages in a country. You can present this data in a pie chart. It will help display the percentage of speakers who use each language. The elements of a pie chart are the arc length of the pie, font, color, and so on. Column chart: A column chart uses multiple columns. With this chart, you can visually compare data that's displayed as columns. It shows variations between items. For example, a column chart is ideal to compare the variations in protein content in edible items. The elements of a column chart are the column length, font, color, and so on.

Line graph: A line graph shows variations in data over a certain period. For example, it can show variations in body weight over 10 months. A line graph connects the values in the two axes, and displays the result in the form of a line. Bar graph: A bar graph (or horizontal column graph) displays data as rectangular bars of varying lengths. It represents variations between the individual items of a data set. The bars may be horizontal or vertical. Bar graphs are best suited to show data in sets or categories. For example, you can collect information from your friends about their favorite movies. Then, you can arrange the movies in genres, such as comedy, drama, horror, and so on. The most-liked category will show an increase in the number of movies in that category. Scatter plot graph: The scatter plot graph has points to relate two sets of data along the two axes. These graphs are useful to record scientific experiments to analyze varying or multiple changes. For example, you can plot the relationship between humidity in the atmosphere and temperature change. Spreadsheets also allow you to add pictures and shapes. With the Insert menu in a spreadsheet, you can add pictures or shapes.

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Creating Charts

Different spreadsheet applications follow different methods to add charts and data. Here's how to create a chart in OpenOffice Calc. Click Chart from the Insert menu. Choose the required chart type. Then, choose the Data Range you want to present in the chart. You can use a series of rows or columns. After setting the data range, click Next. You can use various options to tune the selected data. The Data Series option enables you to add more details to the spreadsheet data. You can give an appropriate title to your chart under the Chart Elements option. If required, add a subtitle. You can select the axis (X or Y) on which to display the data. Chart Elements also gives you the option to show grids on either axis. You can change the chart's elements, layout, and styles from the spreadsheet's Format menu. Finally, you can choose a legend, header, or footer. If you use a legend, you can select where it should appear.

Median: The median value is the middle number in a sorted set of numbers. A sorted set is a series of numbers arranged in ascending or descending order. In OpenOffice Calc, you can calculate the median with this representation: Syntax: MEDIAN (number1; number2; number3...number30) Example: MEDIAN (1; 2; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9). The result value is 6 because it is the middle arithmetic value. Mode: The Mode function expresses the most frequently occurring number in a given set. In OpenOffice Calc, you can calculate the mode with this representation: Syntax: MODE (number1; number2; number3...number30) Example: MODE (2; 3; 4; 5; 3; 3). The result value is 3 because it repeats itself the most number of times. Stdev (standard deviation): The Standard Deviation function helps you see how far a number varies, on average, from the average value of the list. In OpenOffice Calc, you can calculate it with this representation: Syntax: STDEV (number1; number2; number3...number30) Example: STDEV (8; 6; 5; 4). The result value is 1.707 because the standard deviation from the average of the numbers is 1.707.

Min (minimum): The Minimum function expresses the minimum value in a selected data. In OpenOffice Calc, you can calculate it with this representation: Syntax: MIN(number1; number2; number3....number30) Example: MIN(1; 2; 2). The result value is 1 because it is the lowest number in the given set. Rank: With the Rank function, you can find a number's rank or position from a disorganized set of numbers. You can use this function for ascending or descending sets. In OpenOffice Calc, you can calculate it with this representation: Syntax: RANK(number; numberlist; order) Example: RANK(8; B1:B4), where B1, B2, B3, B4 are row numbers and have values 4, 6, 5, and 8, respectively. The value is 1 because the number 8 has a rank/position of 1 in the B column. There are many spreadsheet software products available today. Microsoft Excel is an example of a widely used spreadsheet. You can learn to use its functions if you install it in your computer and test its features.

Statistical Functions

Spreadsheet software provides many statistical functions that enable statistical analysis of data. These functions help you calculate the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation of selected numbers. Spreadsheet software, such as OpenOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel, and Gnumeric, offer many useful statistical functions. Let's learn about some of these functions. Average: With the Average function, you can get the average of two or more numbers. It ignores any text input. In OpenOffice Calc, you can select up to 30 numbers to find the average of a set of numbers. Here's how you can calculate the average of numbers in OpenOffice Calc: Syntax: AVERAGE (number1; number2; number3...number30) Example: AVERAGE (2; 6; 4). The result is 4 because the average of the three numbers is 4.