Select two columns with numeric data, including the column headers.

With the source data correctly organized, making a scatter plot in Excel takes these two quick steps:

In our example, we are going to visualize the relationship between the advertising budget for a certain month (independent variable) and the number of items sold (dependent variable), so we arrange the data accordingly: If your dependent column comes before the independent column and there is no way you can change this in a worksheet, you can the swap x and y axes directly on a chart. The dependent variable (the one affected by the independent variable) should be in the right column, and it will be plotted on the y axis. So, you enter two sets of numeric data into two separate columns.įor ease of use, the independent variable should be in the left column as this column is going to be plotted on the x axis. But first, you need to arrange your source data properly.Īs already mentioned, a scatter graph displays two interrelated quantitative variables. With a variety of inbuilt chart templates provided by Excel, creating a scatter diagram turns into a couple-of-clicks job. The tighter the data points fall along a straight line, the higher the correlation. The main purpose of a scatter plot is to show how strong the relationship, or correlation, between the two variables is. The chart displays values at the intersection of an x and y axis, combined into single data points.

Typically, the independent variable is on the x-axis, and the dependent variable on the y-axis. In a scatter graph, both horizontal and vertical axes are value axes that plot numeric data. Adjust the axis scale to reduce white spaceĪ scatter plot (also called an XY graph, or scatter diagram) is a two-dimensional chart that shows the relationship between two variables.How to organize data for a scatter chart.Do you want to see how the two sets are related to each other? The scatter plot is the ideal graph choice for this. When looking at two columns of quantitative data in your Excel spreadsheet, what do you see? Just two sets of numbers. In this tutorial, you will learn how to do a scatter plot in Excel to create a graphical representation of two correlated data sets.

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