Apple Numbers '09 - Manual (Page 160)

Showing Data Point Symbols in Area Charts
In area charts, you can use symbols (circles, triangles, squares, and diamonds) to
represent data points.
You can use the format bar to quickly customize symbols. Select a symbol and use the
Symbol and Size controls to format symbols. You can also use the Chart inspector.
To show data point symbols using the Chart inspector:
1 Select a data series (area shape), click Inspector in the toolbar, click the Chart inspector
button, and then click Series.
2 Choose a symbol from the Data Symbol pop-up menu.
3 Adjust the size of the data point symbols by entering a value or using the stepper in
the adjacent field.
To learn about other formatting options, see “Formatting Charts” on page 143.
Using Scatter Charts
Scatter charts display data differently from the other kinds of charts. They require
at least two columns or rows of data to plot values for a single data series. To show
multiple data series, you use additional two-column (or two-row) pairs.
Each pair of values determines the position of one data point. The first data value in
the pair is the x-axis of the point. The second data value is the y-axis of the point. If
you’ve already created a chart with data points that don’t occur in pairs, and then you
change your chart to a scatter chart, Numbers may not plot the data as you expect.
Depending on how the data is arranged in the table, it may not be possible to create
any plot at all. Make sure you have entered x and y point values for each data series
you want to plot before choosing to create a scatter chart.
When you choose a scatter chart, the series button appears as a gear in the top left
corner of the data table overlay. You can use a single column (or row) of data as the
x value for multiple columns (or rows) of y values by clicking the gear button and
selecting Share X Values. Use the same button to switch between using rows or
columns as data series in your chart.
Before you can change the look of data point symbols or lines, you must select a
symbol or line of interest.
You can use the format bar to quickly customize symbols and lines. Select a symbol
and use the Symbol and Size controls to format symbols. Use the Stroke controls to
format the lines. The Chart inspector offers additional options.
160 Chapter 7 Creating Charts from Data