Using Excel for Data Visualization

Excel Basics

Bar Chart

• Select data
• Insert → Column Chart

Line Chart

• Use for time series

Scatter Plot

• Compare numeric variables

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Example Dataset

City	Population	Income
A	100000	50000
B	150000	60000

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D3 Example (Line Chart)

<div id="line"></div>
<script src="https://d3js.org/d3.v7.min.js"></script>
<script>
const data = [
  {x:0, y:10},
  {x:1, y:20},
  {x:2, y:15}
];

const svg = d3.select("#line")
  .append("svg")
  .attr("width", 400)
  .attr("height", 200);

const line = d3.line()
  .x(d => d.x * 100)
  .y(d => 200 - d.y * 5);

svg.append("path")
  .datum(data)
  .attr("fill", "none")
  .attr("stroke", "black")
  .attr("d", line);
</script>

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Teaching Strategy

• Start with Excel
• Move to D3 for customization

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Key Takeaways

• Excel = fast + accessible
• D3 = flexible + powerful