Help ! Scatter Chart plots wrongly !

[Blewyn]

Very odd problem - I have a scatter chart with two data series tha
share a common Y value source but different X values.

The first series plots fine, but the second series plots the
coordinate according to the datum's category number, not value.

So for example, it would plot the third datum in the series (24,36) a
(3,36). I have tried re-setting the series sources, source formats
replaced source formulae with values. I have also tried copying the
coordinate values to the right of the X axis values in the sourc
worksheet and made a new chart - still only the first series plot
correctly.

Any ideas ?

Thanks,

Blewy

 

[Blewyn]

Update : I managed to get the chart plotting correctly by plotting th
shared axis values on the X axis and the successive series values o
the Y axis. How do I swap the axes around so that the chart plots as
need it to ?

Thanks,

Blewy

 

[Jon Peltier]

Blewyn -

You should make an XY Scatter chart, which plots according to the actual
X values, not a Line chart, which plots according to the order of the X
categories.

- Jon

 

[blewyn]

Jon,

I am using an XY scatter chart, not a line chart. What I'd like to
know is how to set the Y axis as the shared values axis, and the X
axis as the scale for separate datasets.

For example, I'd like to be able to plot a graph of 0-60 accelertion
curves for 3 cars. I'd like the Y axis to show time, and the X axis
to show velocity. The data is stored as one column of times in 1
second intervals, and three columns of velocities at each time point.
So the data looks like :

Time Car 1 Car 2 Car 3
secs mph
00 0 0 0
05 6 8 10
10 9 12 15

and so on. I want to plot time on the Y axis, and velocity on the X
axis.

I know I could do a workaround by interpolating the times at each
velocity interval and plotting that, but the data I'm actually working
with is real-time readings of non-linear and variable data, so it's
not really valid to interpolate, even between two rows of data.

All I want to do is plot my reference column vertically and my
variable data horizontally, without resorting to using landscape paper
mode and writing all the labels at 90deg (bad for the neck !) Can you
help ?

Cheers,

Blewyn

 

[Tushar Mehta]

Two possibilities:

Reorganize your data to be C1-mph Time, C2-mph Time, and C3-mph Time.

Plot the first set of data (C1 vs time). Now, select the C2 data and
drag onto the chart. In the resulting dialog box, ensure you have 'new
series' checked as well as 'data in columns' and 'first column contains
category (X) values'.

Do the same for the 3rd car.

Alternatively...

Click in an empty area of the worksheet and create a XY Scatter chart.
It will be empty. Select the chart, then Chart | Source Data... |
Series tab. Click the Add... button. In the fields on the right side
of the dialog box, specify the cell that contains the car ID, and the
ranges that contain the x and y values.

Repeat for each of the other cars.

--
Regards,

Tushar Mehta, MS MVP -- Excel
www.tushar-mehta.com
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