Charting a mathematical equation using Excel and defined names

Pages in this article

1. Introduction
2. Create the Chart
3. x-values
4. y-values
5. Sample Equations

Create the Chart

 Because we cannot start creating a chart without data, simply add some data to a couple of cells:

and click the chart wizard button. Make sure to select the "XY (scatter)" chart type and hit Finish.

Now define two names local to the worksheet the chart is on:

Now we need to use these two defined names in the chart's SERIES formula (click the line in the chart and then click the formula bar), currently looking like this:

(Note this shows the SERIES formula as I see it, with the semicolon as list separator.)

Edit this formula so it looks like this:

=SERIES(Sheet1!$B$8,Sheet1!x,Sheet1!y,1)

Cell B8 will contain the chart's title, so we'll put this little formula in B8:

="Charting: " & Sheet1!$B$1

Frequently asked Questions