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Study time: 30 minutes This activity introduces you to one use of computer spreadsheets for the analysis of scientic data: the production of charts and graphs. You have already used the traditional approach for producing a graph of scientic data in Question 1.1 of An Introduction to the Solar System, namely plotting the data on a piece of graph paper. However, it is increasingly rare for scientists to use a pen and paper approach to data analysis, especially with extremely large datasets such as those derived from geochemical analyses or space missions. In this activity, you will reproduce the graph you constructed for Question 1.1 using the same data. The relevant raw data from Appendix A, Tables A1, A2 and A3 have already been entered into a spreadsheet.
Learning outcomes
. . .
Examine how the radii of planetary bodies vary with density. Use a spreadsheet to display data by plotting graphs. Present information in a spreadsheet effectively, accurately and logically.
The activity
This activity is a repeat of the exercise you completed in Question 1.1 of Chapter 1 of An Introduction to the Solar System, except this time you will be plotting the graph electronically using a spreadsheet. In this activity you will use the StarOfce spreadsheet. If you have not used this type of software before, you may nd the Using your Computer part of this handbook helpful. As you work through the activity, feel free to experiment with the spreadsheet commands and menus. Dont worry if you make a mistake: in most cases you can use the key combination Ctrl-Z to undo the last action and bring you back to where you were before. Note: if you have Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Works installed on your computer, then you may prefer to use that rather than to install StarOfce. However, please note that, as we are able to distribute the StarOfce package to all of our students and hence provide identical software to all of them, this is the only package for which we provide specic guidance.
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Module Handbook
As you make changes to the spreadsheet you should save your work regularly to prevent any changes from being lost. From time to time make a backup copy of your work (using a different lename) in case you need to go back to an earlier stage. (If it all goes horribly wrong, you can always go back to the original on the DVD.)
Creating a chart
(Refer to Section 6.6 Plotting data in the Using your Computer part of this handbook for further instructions on creating and formatting charts and graphs. Depending on which version of StarOfce you are using you may need to complete the steps in a slightly different order.) The data in columns B and C can be used to plot a chart (graph) of radius against density for the various planetary bodies listed. Highlight both columns by clicking on Cell B1 and dragging all the way down and across to C37. From the main menu, select Insert | Chart A box labelled AutoFormat Chart will appear. (Note for Microsoft Excel users: if you are using Excel 97 or later on a PC or Excel 98 onwards on a Macintosh, then a Chart Wizard box will appear that is similar although not identical to the Autoformat Chart box in StarOfce.) Ensure that the check box next to First row as label is selected but not the First column as label box. In the pop-up menu for Chart results in worksheet, select new sheet -.
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Select Next >> to move on to the next step. From the Choose a chart type options, select XY Chart. If you hold the pointer over each chart, the type of chart is indicated in a yellow text box (the ALT tag). Notice once you have chosen the XY Chart, the words XY Chart appear in the grey box below the chart types (Figure 1).
(Note: while going through the steps described, you can always press the << Back button to go to an earlier step if you need to correct something.) Choose Next >> to move on to the next step. From the Choose a variant options, select Symbols Only. Select the check box next to Grid lines: Y axis. (Note: if you wish you can also add grid lines to the x-axis, either at this stage or later when you format the chart.) Click Next >> to move on to the next step. In the AutoFormat Chart box type in the title of your graph: Chart title: Variation in planetary radii with density Leave the Legend box unselected. Make sure the X axis and Y axis boxes are checked to enable the axes titles. Type in the titles as follows: X axis: density/kg m-3 (Note: StarOfce cannot display superscripts, so m-3 is used rather than m3). Y axis: radius/km Press Create to create the chart. A box will appear saying X axis values must be sorted. Sort them now? Click Yes.
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Module Handbook
Your chart should look similar to that in Figure 2. As you can see, most of the data points are clustered around the lower values of the y-axis.
Figure 2 The resulting chart. Most of the data are grouped around the lower values on the y-axis.
For most of these formatting operations, you will need to make sure that the chart is selected for formatting (i.e. the grey border and small black squares are visible). The most obvious change required is the scale on the y-axis so that the data are not clustered around the lower values. You can achieve this by changing it to a logarithmic axis (as in the graph provided for Question 1.1 in An Introduction to the Solar System). Select the chart by double-clicking the chart, as described above, then select Format | Axis | Y Axis
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A box labelled Y Axis will appear. Click on the Scale tab then check the box next to Logarithmic scale. Select OK. Your nal chart should resemble the one in Figure 3.
Figure 3 The completed chart of radius plotted against density for various planetary bodies.
If you wish to add gridlines to the x-axis: double-click the chart to select it (as described above). Choose Insert | Grids and check the box next to X axis to add a grid to the x-axis. Click OK. There are various other formatting options that you can apply to your chart to improve its appearance such as changing the colour scheme, font size etc. If you are unfamiliar with spreadsheets, save a copy of the nal sheet you have produced before experimenting with other formatting options.
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