Graphs on Numbers

Place the x values in a non-header column.

Place the y values in the column to the right of the x values.

Select the cells containing the values.

Go to the Charts button and select X-Y Scatter chart.

For an example, look at the Scatter Chart sheet in the Charting Basics template, found in the Template Chooser.

To open the Template Chooser, go to the File menu and choose New from Template Chooser.

If this choice does not appear in the menu, press and hold the option key, then make the choice.

Regards,

Barry

Numbers Help in the Help menu is a useful resource. By searching for "chart" and clicking a related link or two, I found this entry about creating a Scatter Chart:

The example template is easy to access too. Just choose File > New in the menu, then find the 'Charting Basics' template there.

SG

Hi John,

In the Mac keyboard, there are two option keys, one on each side to the space bar. The diagram below is of the keyboard on a Macbookpro, The circled keys are the option keys. The ones between them and the space bar are the command keys. On this diagram, taken from the Keyboard Viewer, the symbols shown are the ones used to label keystroke shortcuts in the menus at the top of the screen. On the keyboard, the option and command keys are labelled with their names, the option key is also labeled alt, and the command key also shows the symbol seen here.

In Pages, click the File menu to open it.

The First item will be "New"

Press and hold either of the option keys.

The first item will change to "New from Template Chooser"

With the option key still pressed,select that item (ie.click on it).

This opens the Template Chooser, from which you can choose Charting Basics.

Looking at your table image above:

Choose column B or C as the x value set, and one of columns D, E or F as the Y value set. With the two sets selected, choose the X-Y scatter chart form the Charts button's menu.

Data points may be joined by lines or curves. Select the chart, then explore the settings in the Chart Inspector, which you can open in the Right sidebar.

More to come, but no time at the moment.

Regards,

Barry

…However I am trying Numbers not pages.

Hi John,

My bad. I'd been flipping back and forth between Numbers and Pages, and had Pages up front as that was where I'd pasted the keyboard diagram to add the red circles.

The File menus in both work the same way, though. Open the menu without the option key pressed and the first item in Numbers is "New" Press option and "New" is replaced with "New from Template Chooser…" (The ellipsis indicates the menu choice will open a sub menu or a dialogue.)

There are keystroke combination shortcuts for both menu items: command-N for New, and option-command-N for New from Template Chooser.

There is also a setting in Numbers Preferences > General with which you can reverse those two, making the default menu item "New from Template Chooser"

Most of my 'new' documents are made in connection with questions here, so my preferences are set for new document to produce a single sheet with a small table.

Preference settings for all Mac applications are in the Application menu (for Numbers, the Numbers menu).

Here's the sample scatter chart from the Charting Basics template supplied with Numbers 3.6.2. I've moved the table and the chart, compressed both horizontally to make a better fit here, and selected the option to include connecting lines between data points.

Regarding Google Sheets: I've not used it, so can't make a recommendation one way or the other. I would assume that x-y scatter charts would be among the supported features.

Regards,

Barry

Hi SG,

Thanks for the help file!

Just a heads-up. John is looking for the Template Chooser.

The File Menu does not show 'New from Template Chooser' for John.

Hence Barry's reply about Numbers > Preferences > General > For New Documents.

I think that John's computer has Numbers preferences set to show 'Use template' rather than 'New from Template Chooser'.

That is when we need to press the option/alt key in the File Menu 😎.

Regards,

Ian.

Hi Ian,

I'm not sure any Numbers for Mac ever shows 'New from Template Chooser'!

I wanted to eliminate a non-existent choice as a possible point of confusion.

On my Mac I simply go to File > New. Then I make a choice under 'Choose a Template.'

I suspect that must be the default behavior. I don't remember ever worrying about a setting in Numbers > Preferences.

SG

"I suspect that must be the default behavior. I don't remember ever worrying about a setting in Numbers > Preferences."

I suspect you're right, SG. I do remember changing the Numbers preference setting to "Use Template: template-name" and specifying a small blank template from the My templates section of the chooser.

Regards,

Barry

Hi John,

With the graph selected, click once on any data symbol ('plus' symbol in the example) to select the series.

Format Panel (on the right) > Style > Connection Lines.

Regards,

Ian.

Hi gill,

An x-y scatter plot, (2D Scatter) something like this?

Table 1 has a Header Row. Data are in Body cells.

Take a look at Template Chooser > Charting Basics > Scatter Plot for ideas, and please call back with questions. There are many helpful users in this forum to give advice.

A screen shot of your data table will go a long way to help us help you.

Regards,

Ian.