Logarithmic charts in Numbers for Mac.

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Level 1

24 points

Logarithmic charts in Numbers for Mac.

My system is Mac OSX 10.11.6 El Capitan using Numbers for Mac version 3.6.2.

I am trying to create a 2D logarithmic line chart.

When the Y axis scale is set to linear (see image 1 below) it is possible to adjust the max and minimum values and the steps between. And this scale shows on the left hand margin of the chart.

When I set the Y axis scale to Logarithmic (see image 2 below) I can only set the scale maximum to 10, 100 or 1000, which leaves a huge area of empty chart as the maximum level should be in 350 or thereabouts. And the steps in between aren't marked on the left hand margin. All of which makes the logarithmic chart almost unusable.

Many thanks

Julian

Image 1, linear scale

Image 2, Logarithmic scale

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Numbers for Mac version 3.6.2

Posted on Oct 22, 2016 3:32 AM

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Answer 1

julianh333 Author

Level 1

24 points

Oct 24, 2016 6:36 AM in response to Wayne Contello

Thanks Wayne

The reason for using log scales in this instance is to be able to compare the performance of different portfolios / benchmarks on a comparable basis. On a linear scale chart a price increase from 8 to 16 looks much greater than a price increase from 2 to 4 whereas in fact both prices have doubled. Hence the use of a log scale. But the benefits of using a log scale are eroded by the limited presentation and scale marking options that I have found in Numbers for Mac. Do you know any way round this?

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Answer 2

Oct 22, 2016 5:27 AM in response to julianh333

Typically, I use log scales when the data spans several orders of magnitude. Therefore I would not recommend using a log scale for your data.

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Answer 3

Oct 24, 2016 9:04 AM in response to julianh333

try MS Excel, or Libre Office, or another graphing tool.

You can also post feedback to Apple using the menu item "Numbers > Provide Numbers Feedback"

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