Sometimes it's easier to see things with pictures so we're going to
make some graphs from our M&M Worksheet.
-
Open Excel & open your Candy
Worksheet
-
We made a graph on paper using our
M&Ms at the start of this activity. Now, let's try to recreate that in Excel.
-
To create a column graph (that is
what Excel calls a vertical bar graph), you will need to
highlight the cells containing the labels for the graph
(in this case that is the color names) and the cells
containing the data you want to graph (in this case that
is columns B through G on the row with your name). To select
cells that aren't together, hold down the CTRL-Key and click
on the cells you want to include.
-
Click on the Chart Wizard 
and you
will see a pop-up window that shows you all the different types of graphs
that Excel can create. Choose
the Column icon and click on Next.
-
Verify the cell range reference for the data
you have selected in the next pop-up window. If this is correct, click
Next.
-
Give the graph a title
(something like <Your Name> M&Ms) and click
on Next and then on
Finish in the final step.
-
Move your graph off of your
data by dragging it to where you want it to be - either to
the right of your entered data or below the totals.
-
SAVE YOUR WORK
Does this graph look like the graph we created on paper?
Probably not quite because the graph in Excel uses default colors,
so let's change the colors to match our M&M colors:
-
Select your chart by clicking
on it and then:
-
Click on the first column in
your chart; this will select all of the columns. Click on the
first column again and this will select only that column.
-
Use the Flood Fill Bucket to
change the color of the column to the appropriate color.
-
Repeat for the remaining columns.
You only need to click once on each of the additional columns to
select that column.
- SAVE YOUR WORK
Now the graph probably looks more like the one we created but we
can make it look even more like our original graph by turning the
chart into a pictograph. What's a pictograph? That's a graph that uses
pictures instead of colors to represent data. And, here's how we can
do that:
- Again, select your chart by double clicking on it and then:
-
First, open the Excel
- Candy Counting page in a new window. Clicking the link
will do that. This will give you access to the M&M
graphics on that page.
-
On the Candy Counting page, put
your mouse over the M&M that is the color of your 1st
column and then click on the right mouse button. Don't select
the image, just put your mouse over it. This will
display a menu, click on COPY to copy the M&M to
the clipboard.
-
Select the first column in your graph
and go to EDIT > PASTE or
press CTRL+V to paste the M&M into the column.
-
Double click on the first column
and a pop-up menu will display. Select the Patterns tab and
then click the Fill Effects button.
-
On the left side, choose Stack and
scale to: and type 1 in the Units/Picture box. Click OK
twice. You may need to resize your graph; to do this click on
the corner of the graph and drag outwards to make it bigger.
-
Repeat for the remaining columns.
Don't forget to copy each M&M from the Candy Counting
page.
- SAVE YOUR WORK
Now we have a pretty good representation of what our original graph
on paper looked like! How do your totals compare to the Class Mean?
Let's graph that and see!
-
Click on your graph to select
it and then:
-
Select EDIT > COPY or press CTRL+C
to copy your graph.
-
Click on your spreadsheet where
you want the new graph to be.
-
Select EDIT > PASTE or press CTRL+V
to paste a copy of your graph.
-
Click on the new graph to
select it and then:
-
Under the Chart
menu, choose Add Data
-
A pop-up menu will appear. Select
the cells containing the data you want to add (in this
case, highlight the data in columns B through G on the Mean row). The cell references
will be copied in the Range input box. Click OK.
-
Change the colors on the Class
Totals columns to reflect the appropriate color for the
M&M.
- SAVE YOUR WORK
Do your M&M totals match the class
mean totals? Are there any differences? Why do you think this would
be?
Did you know that there are standard percentages for each color in
a bag of M&Ms?
- Let's create a Pie Chart to see what our percentage distribution
looks like as a class:
-
To create a pie chart, you will need to
highlight the cells containing the labels for the graph
(in this case that is the color names) and the cells
containing the data you want to graph (in this case that
is columns B through G on the Class Totals row). To select
cells that aren't together, hold down the CTRL-Key and click
on the cells you want to include.
-
Click on the Chart Wizard
and you
will see a pop-up window that shows you all the different types of graphs
that Excel can create. Choose
the Pie Chart icon 
and click on Next.
-
Verify the cell range reference for the data
you have selected in the next pop-up window. If this is correct, click
Next.
-
In the Data Labels tab,
verify that Category Name and Percentage are
selected.
-
Click on the Titles tab and
title your graph Class M&M Totals and click on
Finish.
-
Select your chart by
clicking on it.
-
Click on a piece of the pie and then
click on it again. This will select only that
piece.
-
Use the Flood Fill Bucket to change the color to the appropriate color.
-
Repeat for the remaining pieces of
the pie.
- SAVE YOUR WORK
Do our Class Percentages match the standard ones? Let's find out.
Go to http://www.mms.com/us/about/products/milkchocolate/
and see if our percentages match!
Do the percentages in your bag match the standard percentages? Create
a pie chart showing your percentages to see. Refer to the instructions
above for help in creating this chart. Don't forget to save your work!
Are you done? Are you ready for some more M&M fun? Head over to
http://www.mms.com/us/fungames/games/
and play some games!
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