are scatterplots possible?

[David Schwartz]

I can't seem to get Excel to do what seems a very straightforward chart: a
scatterplot. I've got three continuous variables: A, B, C. Ideally, what I
'd like to do is to construct a plot with two of the variables on the X and
Y axes and to encode the symbol based on the value of the third. Barring
that, I'd just like to construct three separate scatterplots: Var A by Var
B, Var A by Var C, Var B by Var C.

Shouldn't this be reasonably simple to do in a program like Excel?

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[dvt]

I can't seem to get Excel to do what seems a very straightforward chart:
a
scatterplot. I've got three continuous variables: A, B, C. Ideally, what
I
'd like to do is to construct a plot with two of the variables on the X
and
Y axes and to encode the symbol based on the value of the third. Barring
that, I'd just like to construct three separate scatterplots: Var A by
Var
B, Var A by Var C, Var B by Var C.

Did you try the bubble chart? That makes a different-sized symbol based
on the value for the third variable.

You can try a "manual" solution as found on
http://www.geocities.com/jonpeltier/Excel/ChartsHowTo/CustomMarkers.html..
I don't think this is what you want since the marker is not dependent ona
variable.

What you are *really* asking about is a three dimensional chart. Excel is
fairly limited in that regard. You could probably write some code
yourself or look into a charting package if the suggestions above are
insufficient.

 

[Jon Peltier]

David -

First, you're aware that you can plot two variables in a scatter chart
in Excel? In step 1 of the Chart Wizard, you select XY (Scatter), the
fifth item in the left hand list, then one of the five options on the
right. That's how you plot A vs B, etc.

If you want your markers to be dependent on a third value, you can look
at the conditional charting examples on my web page:

http://www.geocities.com/jonpeltier/Excel/Charts/format.html

You could, as Dave suggests, try a bubble chart, where the size of the
marker scales with a third variable. Unfortunately Excel has very
limited 3D charting capabilities, but Andy Pope has a way to simulate a
3D scatter chart on his web site. Look in the Charting section of
http://andypope.info.

- Jon