Rutledge

Δ, Frequency Graphs, & Histograms

Δ | Frequency Graph for Mr. Beck’s Class | Histograms      

Δ
Open Microsoft Word

Click on Insert, Symbol, select Normal text as the Font, find the Delta symbol and click Insert. If you need to use it in Excel, copy it from Word and paste it into Excel.
Note: You can also go directly to the Character Map to obtain this symbol instead of using Word

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Frequency Graph for Mr. Beck's Class
Use a Bar Chart with the Chart Wizard

1. Use the raw data from the class example or experiment, and put it into an Excel spreadsheet in the following manner:

• Raw data in column A

• Possible results (or values)  in column B in increasing order

• The frequency the values were found go in column C

 Example

2. Do not select (highlight) the information you have just entered, and click on the Chart Wizard     on the Toolbar

 Pick the 1st Column type and click Next.

3. In the next dialogue box click Columns and then click in the Data range box

On the worksheet, select the numbers that will be your Range (y values – the ones that will be the vertical bars)

See images below
The computer will automatically fill in the cell references in the box.

4. Before you click next, select the Series tab in this same window.

To give the cell references for the x-axis labels, click in the Category (X) axis labels box. On your worksheet select (outline) the cells that represent your x axis (the ones in column B)

In this case the cells B2:B8. 

 Click Next. 

5. You will be able to change the Chart Title, Legends, labels etc. in the next window or you can just click Next. I suggest you put in a Chart Title, but delete the legend.

Click Next. 

6. Choose whether to make chart on a new sheet or on existing page (I chose existing page)  and click Finish.

7. You can copy the chart and paste it into a Word document.

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Histograms

You may also want to look at this site for more instructions.

 This example will be for a scale of .04 and an interval of .08. Set zero in the center.  

 The following values will be used

1. In Excel go to the Tools menu, Add Ins, and check Tool Pak and OK – You will only need to do this the 1st time you use this feature.

2. Go to back to the Tools menu and choose Data Analysis, Histogram, and click OK.

 Further instructions are below the next image. 

3. Data Input range – Click in the box next to the words Input Range. Select (highlight) your data on your worksheet.

4. Bin Range –Your intervals are called bins in Statistical language. Identify the upper limits of the intervals marked. In the ex. they are –0.12,   -0.04,  0.04,  0.12 

Type those numbers in a column on your worksheet.

Click in the box next to the words Bin Range.

Highlight those cells to get the Bin Range. For more information on bins, see below **

5. Click Output Range to select it, and click in the white box next to the words Output Range.

6. Click the cell in the worksheet where you wish the upper left hand corner of the chart to go.

7. Click Chart Output to put a checkmark in the box if there is not already one.

8. Click OK

After chart is made – right click the Y-axis on the chart and choose Format Axis and the Scale tab.

You can choose the settings shown in the image below (Major unit to 1) and click OK.

You will probably want to click your chart border and stretch the chart from a corner handle to enlarge it.

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If you need to change the appearance of the X or Y axis, right-click one of them and choose Format Axis.

9. Right click on one of the vertical data bars and select Format Data Series and the Options tab.

 Set the Gap width to zero. You do not need to click Vary colors by point as I did below.

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Final chart for this example

Note that the #s along the horizontal axis represent the next higher tic mark. The white bin goes from -.04 to .04

 ** Values on Bin Borders

from http://www.rollins.edu/technews/document/excel8_histogram.html
” Enter the cell reference to a range that contains an optional set of boundary values that define bin ranges. These values should be in ascending order. Microsoft Excel counts the number of data points between the current bin number and the adjoining higher bin, if any. A number is counted in a particular bin if it is equal to or less than the bin number down to the last bin. All values below the first bin value are counted together, as are the values above the last bin value.” 

Your textbook uses a convention of values on a bin border going in the next higher bin. Excel uses the convention that a number on a bin border goes in the lower bin.

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