How to Make a Chart

Charts are great visual aids for presentations. They show a great deal of data and information quickly. You can draw graphs neatly using graph paper. Making a chart is also easy if you use Microsoft Excel. The charts can be printed in color with headlines for added interest. Follow the easy steps in this article to learn how to make three basic charts: an area chart, a bar chart and a pie chart. You will have to decide which chart best fits your situation.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Making a Chart

1. 
    
   Example Data for Charts

   Types of ChartsCharts display data or information and show the relationship between the data. Many types of charts are available, and each one has a different purpose.Charts can be made by hand or with a computer software program called Excel. If drawing charts by hand, use graph paper. To use Excel, type information into a workbook page, like the example data for the charts. Depending on the version, find the button to create a chart. In the 12.1.1 version, the word Chart is on the tool bar at the top of the page. There will be many different types of charts to choose. The three example charts in these "how to" directions are area chart, bar chart and pie chart and were made by using Excel. All example charts use the following data on doughnuts eaten. Week one: Tuesday 25, Wednesday 35, Thursday 65 and Friday 100. Week two: Tuesday 10, Wednesday 30, Thursday 35 and Friday 50. Week three: Tuesday 22, Wednesday 16, Thursday 45 and Friday 75.

2. 
    
   Example Area Chart for Doughnuts Eaten

   Area ChartAn area chart shows quantitative data graphically. This type of chart compares two or more quantities. The left vertical line shows the amount of doughnuts while the bottom horizontal lines shows the days the doughnuts were eaten.To show how many doughnuts were eaten in a three week period, an area chart would will look like the example.

3. 
    
   Example Bar Chart for Doughnuts Eaten

   Bar ChartA bar chart (or a a bar graph) shows rectangular bars that are the length proportional to what they represent. They are used for comparing two or more items or values. The bars can be horizontal or vertical. To show doughnuts eaten, a bar chart would look like the example. The left vertical line shows the days the doughnuts were eaten. The bottom horizontal line shows how many doughnuts were eaten.

4. 
    
   Example Pie Chart for Doughnuts Eaten

   Pie ChartA pie chart (or a circle graph) shows the shape of a slice of pie that are proportional to the percentage of what they represent. This type of chart shows basic percentages and usually does not show very specific information or data.The example pie chart shows slices of pie for the amount of doughnuts eaten each day.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with the other types of charts. Decide which ones represent the data best for your application.

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