Graphs and Charts for Business Data — NCERT Solutions

When you move the mouse over a chart object, you see a ChartTip.

The group that shows the selected element's name is Current Selection.

A graph/chart is a pictorial representation of data. It helps business decisions because data can be understood quickly, trends and patterns can be seen easily, comparisons can be made, and information can be presented and conveyed in a simple visual form instead of raw numbers.

• Column chart: useful for comparison of absolute values of data such as sales or production at different time intervals or among products.
• Pie chart: used to show the relative share of different parts of a whole.
• Line chart: useful for showing changes over a period of time and trends.

• Data series: related data points plotted in a chart; each series is shown in a unique colour or pattern.
• Legend: the identifier that tells which colour, pattern, or symbol belongs to which data series or category.
• Data labels: extra information shown on or near a data marker to identify the data point in a series.

Excel is used to prepare charts by entering data in a worksheet, selecting the data, and then using the Insert tab and chart tools to create the required chart type. After that, the chart can be formatted through the Design, Layout, and Format tabs by changing styles, titles, labels, legends, axes, and size.

• Pie chart: shows parts of a whole; each slice represents a proportion of the total.
• Line chart: shows trends or changes over time.
• Column chart: shows comparisons among items or values at different points, such as products or time periods.

To move, resize, or reposition a chart:

1. Click the chart to select it.
2. To move it, drag the chart to the new location.
3. To resize it, move the pointer to a corner or side until it becomes a two-headed arrow, then drag to increase or decrease the size.
4. To reposition elements like the legend or titles, use the chart tools and formatting options as needed.

The percentage in a pie chart represents the share of each part in the whole. It is calculated by the software as:
$$\text{Percentage} = \frac{\text{part value}}{\text{total value}} \times 100$$
So all slices together make 100% of the whole pie.

a. Area, XY chart and doughnut

• Area chart: shows quantities over time and emphasizes the magnitude of change.
• XY (scatter) chart: plots paired values to show the relationship between two variables.
• Doughnut chart: shows parts of a whole like a pie chart, but can contain more than one data series.

b. 2-D Charts and 3-D Charts

• 2-D charts use two axes: X-axis and Y-axis.
• 3-D charts use three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis/depth axis.
• 2-D charts are simpler, while 3-D charts add depth.

A pie chart is a circular chart divided into slices. Each slice shows the proportion of a category in the total. The percentage values in a pie chart mean the portion or share of each category out of 100% of the total.

Different charts that can be prepared using Excel include column charts, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, area charts, surface charts, multiple line charts, radar charts, XY (scatter) charts, bubble charts, and doughnut charts.