How to Graph three variables in Excel?

Excel is a powerful Microsoft spreadsheet tool that allows for easy data editing, sharing, calculations, and graph creation. You can use Excel to create various graphs, including line graphs, bar graphs, histograms, pie charts, and Cartesian graphs, to compare multiple variables.

Plotting three variables in a graph is simple. Graphs help us visualize data and analyze relationships among three variables. The most suitable graph for displaying three variables is a clustered bar chart. Many programs such as Excel, PowerPoint, etc., can be used to create graphs with three variables. This article will teach you how to do just that.

A line graph shows how data changes over time with points connected by straight lines. It has a horizontal x-axis for the time-period and a vertical y-axis for the specific item being measured. This graph helps analyze trends and relationships between two sets of values.

Step 1: Open the Excel sheet, enter the values of three columns and save the columns with names.

Step 2: Select everything, including headers, and open the insert tab in the navigation menu.

Step 3: Navigate to the charts session and click on line graphs.

Step 4: Choose different colors for each of the lines so that it can be easily identified. We can style the line graph using various themes and styles which are available.

For the below example, a line graph was made in excel using three different variables. The three variables are month, expenses, and days and savings. In the graph, you can see the variations in each expense and day according to the month variable. from January to May there keep on the increase in terms of expenses as shown in the example.

A bar graph is an image representation of a group of data in the form of rectangular-horizontal and vertical bars. The length and height of the bars measure the value of a variable. Bar graphs help us to compare different types of data with different groups easily. It gives the relationship between variables using two axis: the x-axis and y-axis. In every graph or chart, the variations can be shown over a period of time.

Properties of bar Graphs

1. The distance between each bar should be equal.
2. The height and length of bars should correspond to the value of the data.
3. The width of the bars also should be the same.
4. There should be a common base for all bars.

Step 1: Open the Excel sheet and enter the values of 3 variables and save the variables with names.

Step 2: Select everything, including headers, and open the insert tab in the navigation menu.

Step 3: Navigate to the charts session and click on bar graphs.

Step 4: Choose different colors for each line so that it can be easily identified. We can style the bar graph using various themes and styles which are available.

There are two types of bar graphs:

1. Horizontal Bar Graph

When a group of data is represented in a graph using bars horizontally, those graphs are called horizontal bar graphs. These bars show the measure of the value of the data. The data is represented along the x-axis, so the length of bars denotes the values of variables. Example,

The below bar graph is a horizontal bar graph as the values of variables are along the axis, and the length of bars defines the value of a variable. The variables are Months, expenses, and days. In the graph we can see from January to May there is a increase in the expenses.

2. Vertical Bar Graph

When a group of data is represented in a graph using bars vertical, those graphs are called vertical bar graphs. These bars show the measure of the value of the data. The data is represented along the y-axis, so the height of bars denotes the values of variables. Example,

The below bar graph is a vertical bar graph as the values of variables are along the y-axis, and the height of bars defines the value of a variable. The variables are Months, expenses, and days.

In conclusion, learning how to graph three variables in Excel is crucial for effectively visualizing complex data relationships. We can design various graphs using Excel as it provides a lot of options like 3-D bar graphs and 2-D bar graphs, and also we have pie charts and histograms for comparing different sets of values. Excel offers us a wide range of options to help in computing and calculations. The process of graphing three variables in Excel is explained step by step in this article.