Most often, data arrays containing interdependent groups of values are placed in spreadsheets. The easiest way to assess the existing dependence is to visually, and for this you need to build an appropriate graph. The spreadsheet editor Microsoft Office Excel has very advanced tools for this job, but they are not at all difficult to use.
Necessary
Tabular editor Microsoft Office Excel 2007 or 2010
Instructions
Step 1
Start Excel and load the document with the required table into it. If the data whose dependency you want to display is located in adjacent rows or columns of the same sheet, select it.
Step 2
On the "Insert" tab in the Excel menu, open the "Scatter" drop-down list - it is placed in the middle of the right column of the icons of the "Charts" command group. This list contains schematic images of different types of graphs, from which you need to choose the most suitable one for displaying the interdependence of data from your table. After that, Excel will add three tabs to the editor menu for working with the graph, united by the heading "Working with Charts".
Step 3
If at the first step you selected the required columns, the graph will be built automatically and you can skip this step. Otherwise, only an empty area will be created. Click on the "Select data" button in the "Data" command group on one of the added tabs - "Constructor". In the window that opens, click the "Add" button under the legend "Legend items (series)" and Excel will show another window containing three fields.
Step 4
In the "Series name" field, specify the title of the graph - for example, click on the cell with the name of the data column. In the next field - "X Values" - place the address of the table range that contains numbers that determine the distribution of points along the abscissa axis. This can be done both from the keyboard and by selecting the desired range of cells with the mouse. The same, but for the data on the ordinate, do in the "Y Values" field.
Step 5
Click the OK buttons in the two open dialog boxes and the dependency graph will be built.
Step 6
Use the controls on the "Layout" and "Format" tabs of the spreadsheet editor menu to customize the appearance of the created chart. You can change both the colors and fonts of the labels of the chart itself, and the appearance of the background. You can give it volume, change its shape, set the color and fill methods, select the texture, etc.
