Spreadsheets Tutorial - Visualizing the price evolution

Creating a Line Chart with Spreadsheets: A Step-by-Step Guide

A line chart is a useful tool that traders and financial analysts use to visualize and understand the past movements of stock prices. It represents a series of values of points called markers connected by linear segments, resulting in a line plot showing the values of historical prices during the period under analysis.

To build a line chart with spreadsheets, first select the range of cells that you want to display. Next, click on "Insert" and then "Chart". You should already see an online chart because the software will suggest the most appropriate graph for your data. If not, in the chart editor, select "Line Chart" under the section "Chart Type" and you are done.

The chart editor is like a palette for a painter, allowing you to improve your graph and make it more detailed, nicer, and more informative. It is composed of two sections: the first section is set up where you can add series to your graph, such as including historical prices of other stocks for comparison purposes or displaying dates corresponding to each price on the horizontal axis. The second section is customized where you can modify titles, legends, and other graphical parameters.

To improve this chart and make it more explanatory, first decide to add the dates on your Zonta axis. Double-click on the charts to access the chart editor in the setup section. You can click on "Add X-axis" and select the range of cells with the date, then click "OK". Changing graphical parameters like titles, background color, and axis is even easier to do by going to the customize section of the chart editor and clicking on "Chart and Axis Titles".

You can decide which title you want to modify in this case since the goal is to change the main title. Choose "Chart Title" then type the name on the bar, such as "price". If you don't want a title, you can leave the section empty. To change the background color, simply click on "Chart Style" and then select the desired color. Finally, you can modify the access by defining the upper and lower bounds of the vertical axis by clicking on "Vertical Axis" and entering the desired values on the bar right below "Min" and "Max".

Moreover, you can change how the values appear on the horizontal axis for example, treating labels as text and modifying the slants for better readability. This was your chart before customization, and this is the same chart after customization – it looks much better, doesn't it? Now that you know how to build a line chart in spreadsheets, you will display the historical prices for stock ABC time to practice.

Adding Series to Your Graph

When creating a line chart with spreadsheets, one of the most important aspects is adding series to your graph. A series refers to a set of data points that are connected by linear segments. You can add multiple series to your chart to compare different datasets or display additional information. For example, you can include historical prices of other stocks for comparison purposes.

To add a new series to your graph, go to the setup section of the chart editor and click on "Add Series". Select the range of cells that contains the data points for the series you want to add. You can also choose whether you want to display the data points as text or numerical values. Once you have added all the series you need, your graph will be complete.

Customizing Your Chart

The chart editor is not just a tool for creating charts; it's also a palette for painters who want to improve their graphs and make them more detailed, nicer, and more informative. The second section of the chart editor allows you to customize your chart by modifying titles, legends, and other graphical parameters.

To customize your chart, go to the customize section of the chart editor and click on "Chart and Axis Titles". Here, you can decide which title you want to modify in this case since the goal is to change the main title. Choose "Chart Title" then type the name on the bar, such as "price". If you don't want a title, you can leave the section empty.

You can also change the background color of your chart by clicking on "Chart Style" and then selecting the desired color. This is a great way to make your graph stand out or blend in with your existing design. Additionally, you can modify the access of your chart by defining the upper and lower bounds of the vertical axis.

Defining Vertical Axis

The vertical axis of your chart is where you display the values on your data points. To define the vertical axis, go to the customize section of the chart editor and click on "Vertical Axis". Here, you can enter the desired values for the upper and lower bounds of the vertical axis.

For example, if you want to show a range of values from 0 to 100, you would enter 0 in the "Minimum" field and 100 in the "Maximum" field. You can also choose whether you want to display the data points as text or numerical values by clicking on the "Number" dropdown menu.

Changing Horizontal Axis

The horizontal axis of your chart is where you display the labels for your x-axis. To change how the values appear on the horizontal axis, go to the customize section of the chart editor and click on "Horizontal Axis".

Here, you can choose whether you want to treat labels as text or numerical values by clicking on the "Number" dropdown menu. You can also modify the slants of the labels for better readability.

Conclusion

Creating a line chart with spreadsheets is a simple yet powerful way to visualize data and make it more understandable. By following these steps, you can create a professional-looking graph that showcases your data in a clear and concise manner.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enat this point you have the minimum and maximum historical prices together with the dates at which they occurred what is missing is a visualization of historical prices to get an idea about the dynamics of the time series a useful tool that traders and financial analysts use to visualize and understand the past movements of stock prices is a line chart a line chart represents a series of values of points called markers connected by linear segments the result is a line plot showing the values of the historical prices during the period under analysis the time is represented on the horizontal axis in chronological order from left to right the price level is displayed on the vertical axis building a line chart with spreadsheets is easy first you select the range of cells that you want to display next you click on insert and then on chart you should already see online chart because the software will suggest you the most appropriate graph for the data to select it if not in the chart editor select line chart under the section chart type and you are done the chart editor is like the palette for a painter you can use it to improve your graph and make it more detail nicer and more informative the chart editor is composed of two sections the first section is set up where you can add series to your graph for example you can include historical prices of other stocks for comparison purposes or you can display the dates corresponding to each price on the horizontal axis the second section is customized where you can modify the titles the legend and other graphical parameters let's say that you want to improve this chart and make it more explanatory first you decide to add the dates on your Zonta axis to do so double click on the charts to access the chart editor in the setup section you can click on add x-axis select the range of cells with the date and click on OK changing graphical parameters like titles background color and axis is even easier to change the title go to the customize section of the chart editor and click on chart and axis titles you can decide which title you want to modify in this case since the goal is to change the main title choose chart title then type the name on the bar this case price if you don't want a title you can leave the section empty to change the background color simply click on chart style and then select the desired color on the appropriate section finally you can modify the access you can define the upper and lower bounds of the vertical axis to do so click on vertical axis and enter the desired values on the bar right below min and Max moreover you can change how the values appear on the horizontal axis for example you can treat labels as text and modify the slants for better readability this was your chart before the customization and this is the same chart after the customization it looks much better doesn't it now that you know how to build a line chart in the next exercises you will display the historical prices for stock ABC time to practiceat this point you have the minimum and maximum historical prices together with the dates at which they occurred what is missing is a visualization of historical prices to get an idea about the dynamics of the time series a useful tool that traders and financial analysts use to visualize and understand the past movements of stock prices is a line chart a line chart represents a series of values of points called markers connected by linear segments the result is a line plot showing the values of the historical prices during the period under analysis the time is represented on the horizontal axis in chronological order from left to right the price level is displayed on the vertical axis building a line chart with spreadsheets is easy first you select the range of cells that you want to display next you click on insert and then on chart you should already see online chart because the software will suggest you the most appropriate graph for the data to select it if not in the chart editor select line chart under the section chart type and you are done the chart editor is like the palette for a painter you can use it to improve your graph and make it more detail nicer and more informative the chart editor is composed of two sections the first section is set up where you can add series to your graph for example you can include historical prices of other stocks for comparison purposes or you can display the dates corresponding to each price on the horizontal axis the second section is customized where you can modify the titles the legend and other graphical parameters let's say that you want to improve this chart and make it more explanatory first you decide to add the dates on your Zonta axis to do so double click on the charts to access the chart editor in the setup section you can click on add x-axis select the range of cells with the date and click on OK changing graphical parameters like titles background color and axis is even easier to change the title go to the customize section of the chart editor and click on chart and axis titles you can decide which title you want to modify in this case since the goal is to change the main title choose chart title then type the name on the bar this case price if you don't want a title you can leave the section empty to change the background color simply click on chart style and then select the desired color on the appropriate section finally you can modify the access you can define the upper and lower bounds of the vertical axis to do so click on vertical axis and enter the desired values on the bar right below min and Max moreover you can change how the values appear on the horizontal axis for example you can treat labels as text and modify the slants for better readability this was your chart before the customization and this is the same chart after the customization it looks much better doesn't it now that you know how to build a line chart in the next exercises you will display the historical prices for stock ABC time to practice\n"