Graphing Practice

Directions for Graphs                                   Put the data that you want on the X axis of your graph (Independent Variable) in the left column of Excel and the data that you want on the Y axis, in the right column.  Highlight the data and go to the “Insert” tab and choose “Graph” For most graphs you will either choose the X,Y Scatter Plot that has straight lines connecting the data points, or a Column/Bar Graph.  Delete the title box off the graph itself Delete the legend/series box (if there is one) Label your axes (don’t forget to capitalize-they are titles) you will want to include units.  Adjust your axis if needed to center your data points in the middle of your graph (right click on one of the numbers on the axis, choose “format axis” from the dropdown menu, then change the minimum value to closer to your first data point.  Copy your graph into a Microsoft Word document Type the graph number underneath the graph in this format “Graph 3. “ Type the graph title after the graph number, underneath your graph. This should be capitalized, it is a title. The title should describe what is happening on both axes. For example, “Weights of Fish (y axis-dependent variable) with Variable Amounts of Fish Food (x axis-independent variable)”  After the title, include one or two sentences that show the reader what they should be looking at in the graph, another way to say this is, “what is the main point of the graph?”. This is not capitalized like a title, it is a regular sentence.  This will go in the Results/Data section of your lab report.