XL: How to Create a Spiral Chart

ID: Q151445

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SUMMARY

It is possible to create a chart in Microsoft Excel that resembles a spiral or spirograph. The spiral chart is an XY Scatter chart that plots the series of values 1 through 128 against the cosines of those values.

MORE INFORMATION

To create the chart, follow these steps.

Microsoft Excel 97 and Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

  1. Enter the following data in Sheet1 of a new workbook:

        A1 : 1
        A2 : 2
        A3 : 3
        A4 : 4
        A5 : 5
        A6 : 6
        A7 : 7
        A8 : 8
        A9 : 9
        A10: 10

  2. Save the workbook as "Test.xls" (without the quotation marks).

  3. On the Insert menu, point to Name, and then click Define.

     a. In the Names In Workbook box, type "Numbers" (without the
        quotation marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
        "=ROW($A$1:$A$125)" (without the quotation marks), and then click
        Add.

     b. In the Names In Workbook box, type "X_Value" (without the
        quotation marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
        "=SIN(Numbers)" (without the quotation marks), and then click Add.

     c. In the Names In Workbook box, type "Y_Values" (without the
        quotation marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
        "=COS(Numbers)" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.

  4. Select the range A1:A10 on the worksheet.

  5. On the Insert menu, click Chart.

  6. In the "Chart Wizard - Step 1 of 4 - Chart Type" dialog box, make
     sure the Chart Type selected is Column, and the sub-type selected is
     the first chart example on the top row of examples. Click Finish.

     This places an embedded chart on your worksheet.

  7. On the Chart menu, click Location, and in the Chart Location dialog
     box, click As New Sheet. Click OK.

  8. On the Chart menu, click Source Data.

  9. Click the Series tab.

     a. In the "Values" RefEdit box, type "=test.xls!y_values" (without
        the quotation marks).

     b. In the "Category (x) axis labels" RefEdit box, type
       "=test.xls!x_values" (without the quotation marks).

     c. Click OK.

 10. On the Chart menu, click Chart Type. Under Chart Type click
     X-Y (Scatter), and then under "Chart sub-type" click the first
     sample chart on the third row of the sample chart sub-types. Click
     OK.

 11. Double-click the series and in the Format Data Series dialog box
     click the Patterns tab.

 12. Click None under the Marker options, and then click OK.

 13. Double-click the Y axis and in the Format Axis dialog box, click the
     Patterns tab. Click the None option for: Axis, Major Tick Mark
     Type, and Tick Mark Labels. Click OK.

 14. Double-click the X axis and in the Format Axis dialog box click the
     Patterns tab. Click the None option for: Axis, Major Tick Mark
     Type, and Tick Mark Labels. Click OK.

Microsoft Excel Versions 5.0 and 7.0

1. Enter the following data in a worksheet:

2. On the Insert menu, point to Name, and then click Define.

    a. In the Names In Workbook box, type "Numbers" (without the quotation
       marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
       "=ROW($A$1:$A$125)" (without the quotation marks), and then click
       Add.

    b. In the Names in Workbook box, type "X_Values" (without the
       quotation marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
       "=SIN(Numbers)" (without the quotation marks), and then click Add.

    c. In the Names in Workbook box, type "Y_Values" (without the
       quotation marks). Type the following formula in the Refers To box
       "=COS(Numbers)" (without the quotation marks), and then click Add.

3. Select the following range of cells on the worksheet: A1:A10.

    a. On the Insert menu, click Chart, and then As New Sheet. In the
       ChartWizard box, click Next.

    b. Under "Select a chart type," click Column Chart, and then click
       Next.

    c. Under "Select a format for the Column chart," click chart type 1,
       and then click Finish.

    d. Double-click the data series.

    e. Click the Names and Values tab. In the Y Values box, type
       "=<Sheetname>!Y_Values" (without the quotation marks) where
       <Sheetname> is the name of the worksheet where this name is
       defined).

    f. Click the X Values tab. In the X Values box, type
       "=<Sheetname>!X_Values" (without the quotation marks) where
       <Sheetname> is the name of the worksheet where this name is
       defined). Click OK.

    g. On the Format menu, click Chart Type. Click  XY (Scatter).
       Click OK.

    h. Double-click the Y axis. Click the Patterns tab. Select None
       under Axis, Tick Mark Type Major, and Tick Mark Labels group
       boxes. Click OK.

    i. Double-click the X axis. Click the Patterns tab. Select None
       under Axis, Tick Mark Type Major, and Tick Mark Labels group
       boxes. Click OK.

    j. Double-click the data series. Click the Patterns tab. In the
       Marker group box, select None. Click OK.

    k. Click the Legend. On the Edit menu, click Clear All.

REFERENCES

For Microsoft Excel 7.0

For more information about charting in Microsoft Excel, click Answer Wizard on the Help menu and type:

   creating and formatting charts

For Microsoft Excel 5.0

For more information about charting in Microsoft Excel, click the Search button in Help and type:

   chart

Additional query words: XL98 XL97 XL7 XL5

Keywords          : xlchart 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0c,7.0,97; MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a,98
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: January 8, 1999