Just say you've just taken your data for an absorption spectrum and you need to generate the curve. First of all, open MS Excel and enter your data in columns like so (click here to download the dataset):
Next, put the mouse on cell A1, then click and hold the left mouse key and drag until all of the data set is blocked out like so:
Next, click on the Chart Wizard Button (or click on the Insert menu then select the chart option)
You will then be presented with a series of options
Click on the Next Button and you will be presented with a rough sketch of your graph
Click on the Next button on the lower right of the box and you will move to another screen
Enter the title of your graph (Absorption Spectrum of Spinach Chlorophyll Extract) and label the X and Y axes (Wavelength of Light (nm) and Absorption respectively). Then click Next
A fourth window will pop up. Just hit the Finish button and the screen should look like this:
This graph is OK, but you can make it better. First of all, the X-axis goes all the way to zero, but the line starts at 400. We can alter the X-axis to start at 375 so that the graph will not be so compressed. To do so, do the following:
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One more thing - click on the box marked "Series" on the graph and hit the delete button (you don't need this label)
Now put the mouse over a white area of the graph, click the left click button so that little boxes appear in the corners. Then select the print button and a full page graph will print out. Easy as pie!
Click here to go to Best-Fit Straight Line graphs