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How to Draw a Histogram in Excel 2007

By Stephanie Ellen, eHow Contributor

A histogram, sometimes called a frequency distribution, is a way of graphically showing how groups of data relate to each other. The histogram looks similar to a bar graph, with vertical bars plotted on an x,y axis. Drawing histograms by hand can be labor-intensive, especially when it comes to figuring out the optimal number of categories and how many items are in each category. Excel makes light work of the process, and produces a professional-looking graph in a matter of minutes.
Difficulty:Moderate

Instructions
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Type the word "Bins" into cell A1. Type the word "Frequencies" into cell B1. Enter the minimum values for each histogram bucket in column A, under the word "Bins." For example, in cell A2 begin with "0.2," and continue down the column with increasingly large numbers. Enter the number of data items that belong in each given bin in column B, under the word "Frequencies." For example, if the first two bins are 0.2 and 0.3, and there are 12 data items that fall between the values 0.2 and 0.3, then type "12" to the right of 0.2 in column B. Select all the data (including the header title) in column B. To select it, left-click on the title, and drag the mouse to the bottom of the list. Click the "Insert" ribbon.

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How to Draw a Histogram in Excel 2007 | eHow.com

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Click the "Column" button in the Charts section of the Insert ribbon. Click the first icon on the top left of the Column dropdown. It looks like a flat bar graph.

Tips & Warnings

If your frequencies are small, the graph may default to decimal values along your Y

axis such as "2.5," which is incorrect for a histogram. To fix the issue, left-click the Y axis labels to select them, then right-click them to bring up the context menu. Click "Format Axis" on the content menu. Change the "Major Unit" value to 1 and press "Close."

http://www.ehow.com/print/how_6322585_draw-histogram-excel-2007.html

06/16/11