Creating bell curve in excel
 

Hey,
I'm trying to create a chart utilising the bell curve style, when I have
entered all the data and fomulae it seems to come back with an incorrect
value/result on the x-axis. ie: the highest value is 503 but it is showing up
as high as 800. I am using a guide I discovered which is located here -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q213930/

Does someone know of or could help make a step by step guide on how to make
a functioning bell curve chart in excel 2003.

Any help appreciated
Regards
Luke

Answer: Creating bell curve in excel
 

Hi Luke,

Creating a bell curve chart in Excel can be a bit tricky, but I'm happy to help you out. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. First, you need to have your data ready. This should include a list of values and their corresponding frequencies. For example, if you're charting test scores, you might have a list of scores and how many students received each score.
   
2. Next, you'll need to calculate the mean and standard deviation of your data. You can do this using the AVERAGE and STDEV functions in Excel. The mean is the average of all your values, and the standard deviation measures how spread out your data is.
   
3. Once you have your mean and standard deviation, you can use them to create a set of x-values for your chart. These x-values should be evenly spaced and cover a range that includes all your data. You can use the NORMINV function in Excel to calculate these x-values. For example, if your mean is 75 and your standard deviation is 10, you might use the formula
   Formula:

   ---

   =NORMINV((ROW()-1)/99,75,10) 


   ---

   to create a list of 100 x-values ranging from 45 to 105.
   
4. Now you're ready to calculate the y-values for your chart. These will be the frequencies for each x-value, based on the normal distribution. You can use the NORMDIST function in Excel to calculate these y-values. For example, if your mean is 75 and your standard deviation is 10, you might use the formula
   Formula:

   ---

   =NORMDIST(A1,75,10,FALSE) 


   ---

   to calculate the frequency for the first x-value in your list.
   
5. Once you have your x- and y-values, you can create a scatter chart in Excel. Select your x-values and y-values, then go to Insert Charts Scatter. Choose the chart style you prefer, then customize the chart as needed (e.g. adding axis labels, changing the color scheme).
   
6. Finally, you can add a trendline to your chart to create the bell curve effect. Right-click on one of your data points, then choose Add Trendline. In the Trendline Options menu, choose Normal Distribution, then adjust the Mean and Standard Deviation values as needed to match your data.

Let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything else I can do to assist you.

This should help you

http://www.tushar-mehta.com/excel/ch...tion/index.htm

"Lukedug" wrote in message
...
Hey,
I'm trying to create a chart utilising the bell curve style, when I have
entered all the data and fomulae it seems to come back with an incorrect
value/result on the x-axis. ie: the highest value is 503 but it is showing
up
as high as 800. I am using a guide I discovered which is located here -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q213930/

Does someone know of or could help make a step by step guide on how to
make
a functioning bell curve chart in excel 2003.

Any help appreciated
Regards
Luke