MICROSOFT EXCEL LESSON: M&Ms
Introduction
In this lesson you will learn how to use charts to communicate information effectively by
conducting market research about M&M's. First, you will sort and classify the contents of
several bags of M&M's by colour. Next you will record the number of candies for each
color and summarize your findings on a worksheet created in Microsoft Excel. Then you
will convert the numbers into several kinds of charts and make predictions about color
distribution in other bags of M&Ms. You will analyse your data and present it in a
chart/graph.
Step 1: Open a Bag(s) of M & Ms
Work with a small group (4) to gather data from a sampling of M&M's
1. Before opening any bag of m&ms, make a few guesses about the colors you expect to
find. Answer the following questions on a new page on your blog (M&Ms-Parent =
Transition):
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Does the bag have an identical number of candies?
Are all colours represented equally or are some more popular than others?
2. Open the bag of m&ms and record the number for each colour in your packet.
Step 2: Create a worksheet
Individually create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with the data you have gathered
1. Open a worksheet in Excel. In cell A1, type the title "M&Ms Analysis" and merge all
the cells in columns A:F.
2. Change the font style, size (font size 36), and color. Fill the background with a color of
your choosing.
3. In row 3, beginning in cell A3, type the following headings:
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Colors Packet 1
Packet 2
Packet 3
Packet 4
Average
4. In column A, beginning in cell A4, list all of the colors of M&M's you found in your
bags. Example: Red, Blue Yellow, Brown, Green
5. Sort the list alphabetically. Here’s how: Highlight the cells in Column A that contain
colours. On the Data menu, choose Sort. Type "Total" in the cell below your last
entry.
Step 3: Format and Complete Your table
1. Change the Font type and color in the title. The font size should already
be 36.
2. Add borders to your table. When you are finished, select “Thick Box
Border” for the entire table.
3. Make sure everything in row 3 and column A your chart is centered and all
the content is Bold.
4. For each color of M&M you identify from your sample, change the fill color
in column A to match each color of the M&M.
5. Change the background in Row 3 to Black and change the Font color to
white.
6. Now add your group’s data to the chart. Be careful and make sure all your
data matches.
7. Use the Auto Sum feature to calculate the total M&Ms for each packet.
8. Use the Auto Average feature to calculate the average M&M colors.
Step 4: Create graphs
1. Use the Chart Wizard in Excel to produce at least two different charts and/or graphs.
2. Choose the chart types that best represent the data, such as a bar chart or a column
chart. For example, you might choose to chart the distribution of colors in a single
bag or the total number of candies for all bags in your sample. One chart must be
an Exploding 3D Pie Chart.
3. Highlight cells A3:E9. On the Insert menu, choose Chart. Click the Column chart type
and resize to fit with your chart.
4. Click on Chart>> Chart Layout and modify chart as desired.
5. Click on Chart>> Format and modify as desired.
Step 5: Add to your blog
1. Add your spreadsheet to your M&Ms page on your blog.
2. Add a paragraph about your findings of the colour distribution of a packet of fun size
M&Ms.