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Part 3. Graphing
In this set of instructions, student are shown how to graph the data set from previous modules.
1. In Sheet Run #1, select INSERT > Scatter Plot
You should see an empty graph, if not, that is ok, you can always modify as needed.
Right Click the graph and Select Data. If your graph is empty, then you will just need to ADD data. If Data
already appears in the legend entries, REMOVE all to clear.
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Click Add and you will get a box that looks like this…
The series name can be a referenced cell, or you can type the name, for this example you will Reference
a cell…
Click the select range button then Select the Cell that contains the name of the material, ‘2024-T3
Aluminum’
Click the select range button for Series X Values, These will be your STRAIN values. Highlight ALL the
Strain Data.
Click the select range button for Series Y Values, These will be your STRESS values. Highlight ALL the
Stress Data.
NOTE: the range numbers for the X values and Y values must be the same. Which means each
X value is associated with a respective Y value
Click OK. The graph should look like the following:
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Double click to X- and Y-axis for the “Format Axis” options. Select the minimum bound to be zero so you
aren’t showing the negative quadrants – i.e. the origin (0,0) will appear at the bottom left corner of the
graph.
Click the Chart Design Tab and then select “Add Chart Element” to add an X-axis label, Y-axis label, and
hart Title. Label the X- and Y-axis, “Strain (mm/mm)” and “Stress (MPa)” respectively. The title should be
the material name for this example.
Repeat for the other three materials.
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Helpful Tips
Use Scatter Plot, NOT Line graph when plotting things with X and Y data.
If you click on the graph, a green + will appear in the top right of the graph, these are your
graphing options.
If you Select the blue dots in the graph, the data you are using to plot will be shown in
highlighted purple and blue column.
Remember to step back and ask yourself, what SHOULD is look like. For example, can there
be a strain on something that has had no load applied to it?
Utilize the graphing options to adjust axis values and data markers to make your graph look
as clear as possible.