Quick Summary

To access HowToChart.xls, visit: http://www.depauw.edu/learn/macroexcel/excelworkbooks/Charting/HowToChart.xls

HowToChart.xls explains how to create various charts using Maddison data on population, real GDP (in 1990 Gheary-Khamis (GK) dollars), and real GDP per person for five Central American countries. This is a gentle introduction to graphing in Excel, accessible to all students. You can assign the workbook and safely count on the typical student being able to independently complete the assigned tasks of creating several charts because the student is asked simply to reproduce the screencasts.

Screencasts

1. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/how-to-chart-in-excel: basic demo of how to create a chart in Excel

2. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/chart-non-contiguous: charting when data are not next to each other

3. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/using-series-formula: directly editing the SERIES formula in a chart

4. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/double-y: make a chart with two y axes, one for GDP and the other for population

5. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/real-gdp-per-person-instead-of-double-y: chart GDP/population for Costa Rica and Nicaragua

6. • http://vimeo.com/econexcel/five-countries-on-one-chart: chart of real GDP per person for five countries; using SERIES formula; amazing variation

Introduction

Students are not trained to produce charts. We simply expect them to pick it up as they go along. HowToChart.xls was designed to make sure students know how to create a properly labeled scatterplot in Excel. It can be used as a simple start to a course or as remedial instruction – send it to a student who cannot make a chart in Excel or who produces something so hideous that you have to turn away.

The highest priority message is to minimize chartjunk. Excel encourages all manner of distracting and confusing colors, markers, and shapes. Students love to express themselves with shading, shadowing, and word art. This combination can produce gaudy and bewildering output. Unless you are a professional, a clear, minimalist presentation is always best. A close second to minimizing chartjunk is to remember to clean up the chart. Excel's defaults are often undesirable, and axes labels are almost always needed.

If you do decide to use charting as a starting point for a course, note that the content is appropriate for economics. Instead of using hypothetical or random numbers, real-world data on population and output for Central American countries makes the work more interesting. This same strategy is used in the next section, which utilizes oil price and income inequality data.