Using MS-Excel to Analyze Data You are expected to hand in computer generated lab reports.

MS-Excel is a spreadsheet program that is extremely useful for analyzing data. For most labs you will be expected to be able to use the functions in Excel for your analyses. Feel free to ask any of your instructors if you need help. Therefore, this step-by-step guide is provided to help familiarize the inexperienced to the use of the Excel program. The first thing that you want to do is to enter the data into an Excel worksheet. Make sure that your worksheet is displaying the standard toolbar, the formatting toolbar, and the drawing toolbar. If these toolbars are not visible, click on the View button at the top of the worksheet, select toolbars, and select the appropriate toolbars. Enter a title at the top of the page. Then enter the sample data in columns, with headings that identify the test and the samples (note: use the copy and paste functions to save time). Your worksheet should look something like this:
Lab 2 Chemical Properties in Water Phosphorus Culver St. Pond 0.05 0.05 0.01 0.04 0.03 President's Pond 0.05 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.10 Sample X 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sulphur Culver St. Pond 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.09 0.00 President's Pond 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 Sample X 0.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 0.00

Once the data have been entered you will want to calculate the mean and standard deviation for each column of numbers. Move your cursor to the cell just below the first column. Click on the paste function key (fx). Select Statistical, then STDEV. Click OK. Click the colored square icon in the data field corresponding to Number 1. Now click and drag your cursor to select all of the numbers in the first column (a dotted box should then surround the column of numbers). Click on the square icon again to return to the previous menu. Click OK. The standard deviation for the first column should now appear at the bottom of the first column.

Without moving the cursor, click the Insert icon on the top menu bar. Then click on Rows. An empty cell should now appear between the bottom of the first column and your standard deviation. Once again, click on the past function key (fx) and select Statistical (if it is not already selected). Then select Average and click OK. As before, select all the numbers in the first column. When finished you should have a mean and standard deviation for the first column of numbers. Now go to the top toolbar and again select Insert and Rows. This will insert an empty cell between your column of numbers and your values for mean and standard deviation (remember which values are which or, better yet, insert a column to the left and label the appropriate rows as mean and standard deviation). To calculate the mean and standard deviation for the remaining columns you will want copy the formulas you just created into the remaining appropriate cells. To do this, click and drag your cursor to select the mean and standard deviation for the first column. Click the copy icon, then click and drag your cursor to highlight all the empty cells in which you want to enter your means. Click on the paste icon. All of your means and standard deviations should now be calculated for you and look like this:
Lab 2 Chemical Properties in Water Phosphorus (mg/L) Culver St. Pond 0.05 0.05 0.01 0.04 0.03 Stnd Dev Mean 0.02 0.04 President's Pond 0.05 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.10 0.04 0.04 Sample X 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01

Sulphur (mg/L) Culver St. Pond 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.09 0.00 0.04 0.02 President's Pond 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.07 Sample X 0.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 0.00 2.07 1.40

Using the file drop-down menu, click on Save as. Give your worksheet a name and save it. You now want to create a graph for each test showing the mean + standard deviation for each sample. For this you will need to have the values for the mean plus standard deviation, the mean minus standard deviation, and the mean. Create a separate data array for this purpose.

First, click and drag the cursor to select all the mean values. Click the copy icon and move the cursor at least five rows down to a blank part of the worksheet. Select the Edit drop-down menu and click Paste Special, then click on Values and OK. You means should now be copied to the new row. Move your cursor to the first cell on the left above the row of means. Use cell addresses to calculate the mean standard deviation. For example, if you mean is in cell A19 and your standard deviation is in cell A14, enter the formula: =A19-A14. Move the cursor up one row. Now calculate the mean plus standard deviation using the same technique. When you are finished, you should have a column with the mean plus standard deviation, the mean minus standard deviation, and mean for the first water sample in the first test. To calculate the mean plus standard deviation and the mean minus standard deviation for the remaining tests and samples, simply copy the formulas to the appropriate cells. Finally, copy the titles for each water sample (from the top of the columns) to the bottom of your new data array. Your new data array should look something like this (note that the rows must be in this order):
m + std 0.05 m - std 0.02 Mean 0.04 Culver St. Pond 0.08 0.00 0.04 President's Pond 0.02 -0.01 0.01 Sample X 0.06 -0.02 0.02 Culver St. Pond 0.21 -0.08 0.07 President's Pond 3.47 -0.67 1.40 Sample X

Once all the appropriate values have been calculated you are ready to construct a graph for each test. You want to plot the mean and indicate + std dev using error bars. This type of graph can be made using those listed under Stock. Select the chart wizard from the top menu bar. Select Stock, select the first chart sub-type at the upper left (high-low-close). Click Next. A new menu will appear. Make sure that Series in rows is selected. Click on the icon at the far right of the field corresponding to Data Range. Select the numerical values in the first three columns of your data array (this will select the means, means plus std dev, and means minus std dev for the three water samples in the first test). Click the square icon again to return to the previous menu. At the top of this menu is a tap entitled Series. Click on this box to enter this menu. Click the square icon at the right side of the field corresponding to Category (X) axis labels. Highlight the sample names corresponding to the columns that you are graphing. Click the square icon again to return to the previous menu. Click on Next. A new menu will appear with several tabs. In the Titles submenu, enter a name for your graph (the name of the test, eg.

Manganese). Leave the Category (X) axis: field blank. Enter the appropriate label for the Yaxis [eg., Phosphorous Concentration (mg/L)]. Click on the Legend tab. Deselect Show Legend to remove the legend from the graph. Click Next to enter the last menu. Save your graph as a New Sheet and click on Finish. Your graph should be almost finished. All that is needed is a bit of tidying up to make it look more professional. First, the background will be gray. This is neither professional, nor a good use of printer toner. To get rid of the gray background, double click on the gray area. A format plot area menu should appear. Below where it says Area, select None, then click OK. This should eliminate the gray background. The graph will be in landscape orientation, but most professional journals prefer smaller graphs in portrait orientation (this save on printing costs). To change to portrait orientation, enter the file drop-down menu and click on Page Setup. Under the Page tab select Portrait and click OK. Your graph will now be in portrait orientation. However, it is now very tall relative to its width. This is not very professional, and tends to exaggerate the Y-axis. Therefore, making sure that the plot area is selected, click and drag on the box at one corner of your graph to shrink the plot area so that is square. Click and drag the graph so that it is centered on the page. This should look a lot better. Your font size for the titles and axes may be too small. Change these to 12-point font. For example, double click on the title. A Format Chart Title menu will appear. Select the Font tab and change the font size to 12, click OK. Do the same for the Y-Axis and the X-Axis (the X-axis font is changed using the Format Chart Area menu). If your X axis labels are within your chart, click on the X axis and the Format Axis menu should appear. Click on the Patterns tab and find Tick Mark Labels. Highlight Low, then OK. Your X axis labels should now be below the chart. The means are plotted by default as short off-center lines. In professional biological publications symbols (squares, circles, etc.) are used. To change the lines to symbols double click on one of the lines corresponding to a mean value. A Format Data Series menu should appear. In the Style submenu select an appropriate symbol (circle, square, diamond). You also need to increase the size of the symbols used. Increase the symbol size to 8 points. Finally, the default error bars are too thin. To increase the thickness of these lines, double click on one of them. A Format High-Low Lines menu should appear. Select the second thickest line weight and click OK. Your graph should be ready for printing and should look like the one illustrated below.

Phosphorus Concentration in Water Samples

Phosphorus Concentration (mg/L)

0.08 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.00 -0.01 -0.02

Culver St. Pond

President's Pond

Sample X