Microsoft Excel Trouble

[psi20]

How do you plot the point (0,0) using a line graph?

[5614]

what do you need it for????

 

surely you can just print out the graph and mark it on in pen?

 

do you want a line which goes through it or just a point on a graph? if so surely you can just enter the data 0 and 0 into two cells and make a graph from that.

[Ophiolite]

5614, the way Excel works it treats a the x-axis of a line graph as ordered points, not values. So the [0,0] value plots, apprently, at [1,0].

 

psi20, use a scatter-graph instead. (Given how good the rest of Excel is the plotting function stinks.)

[5614]

oh, i didnt make myself clear the first time! what i meant was to use a scatter diagram (from which you can add a line of best fit) this line would go through (0,0).

 

wow, i really didnt make that clear at all (the 1st time)!

 

i recently carried out a maths project and ended up drawing the graphs by hand because excel is really rubbish at graphs (esp. line of best fits).

[psi20]

Ok.

[psi20]

Hey, I think I figured it out. Insert the numbers 0,1,2,3 down a column. When you graph, it asks you for a data range and series on step 2. Click the Series tab. Look down to where it says Category (X) axis labels. Then you can type in the numbers you want, like 0,1,2,3. Then you have graphed the line segment from (0,0) to (3,3)

 

Unfortunately, the shape of the graph doesn't change with the change of the scale on the x-axis. If you typed in 0,6 graph wouldn't change.

[5614]

yeah. sadly excel graphs are very poor, which is annoying as it takes time to draw it all out by hand.

 

sometimes (as we can see from this example) it can be hard to get Excel to give the output you want.

 

lines of best fit are especially bad on Excel. for instance it will always try and draw the line as close to a horizontal line as possible. if you give it a graph with 0 correlation... it will draw a line. give it a graph with one point (obviously 0 correlation) it will draw a line.

 

when accuracy & precision are needed either find another program or do it by hand.

 

however that really only applies to line graphs etc. as far as i can see bar charts and pie charts are fine. although it cant draw comparitative pie charts.