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A brief introduction to column and bar charts in Excel.
Example Excel Spreadsheet
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[MUSIC]
0:00
At the end of the last stage,
0:04
we gave a quick overview of different
types of charts you can make in Excel.
0:06
You might be thinking, well that's cool,
0:11
but when do I use a column
instead of a bar?
0:13
Or why does it even matter?
0:16
Keep in mind that a key goal of data
visualization is to tell a story.
0:18
The more quickly and clearly you
can tell the story, the better.
0:23
And it's absolutely the case
that some charts just aren't
0:26
as effective as others depending on
the story you are trying to tell.
0:29
Let's cover a few different examples
starting with the simple question around
0:34
columns or bars.
0:37
To most people bar and column charts
are basically the same thing.
0:40
They both display data with
rectangle sizes proportional
0:45
to the underlying value of
that data point or series.
0:49
The obvious difference is that column
charts have the data organized
0:53
horizontally.
0:57
With the column values associates with
the y-axis and labels along the x.
0:58
Bars are flipped with labels along
the y-axis and values along the x.
1:04
In most situations,
these charts can be used interchangeably.
1:10
In the teachers notes,
you'll find a link to a spreadsheet.
1:14
And I want you to create a chart
visualizing the data in that spreadsheet
1:18
based on what you decide is better,
a bar or a column chart.
1:23
Keep in mind the goal of
telling a story clearly.
1:28
In the next video,
I'll show you what I would do.
1:32
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