Scatter Chart in Numbers

Question

Level 1

22 points

Scatter Chart in Numbers

I cannot create a Scatter Chart using the current version of Numbers. I select the column for the X axis (a date) and a different column for the Y axis (a number), and then click on Chart, then select Scatter Plot. The plot that is produced uses the same column of data for both X and Y axes, resulting in a straight line set of symbols. If I try to manually change the column for either the X or Y data it appears to do so, but then reverts to the original behavior. If I create a line plot for the same set of data, it is correct, so the data set is not the problem. I can provide a example spreadsheet if it would be useful.

BTW, this issue originally came up when I tried to find out why a Numbers spreadsheet that had been producing a continuously updated scatter plot for over 10 years suddenly stopped working.

iMac 27″, macOS 12.3

Posted on Apr 21, 2022 6:41 PM

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Answer 1

Barry

Level 9

59,951 points

Apr 21, 2022 10:37 PM in response to BWhitman

HI BW,

Just a guess. I suspect you have placed the X data in a Header column and the Y data in a non-header column, and that the chart os graphing the Y data as both the X data and the Y data.

Numbers Charts do not recognize numbers or text in a Header column as 'data'. In a Category chart, values in the header column are read as Category names, and numbers in non-header columns are recognized as chartable data.

nsert a new column to the left of your Y column, re renter the numeric values from the 'old' X data (header) column in the new column. Select these two body columns and select the X Y Scatter chart from the Chart Button's menu.

You should see a more accurat graph of the relationship of the X and Y value pairs.

Regards,

Barry

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Answer 2

BWhitman Author

Level 1

22 points

Apr 23, 2022 5:56 AM in response to SGIII

You are correct - I misread your post as referring to a header row. Sorry.

This restriction for scatter plots must have been fairly recent, since a spreadsheet that I have used for over 10 years was operating correctly thru at least the middle of 2021, although the problem did not become evident to me until the last few months.

I have sent a suggestion to Apple that they make line & scatter plots operate in a consistent manner, or at the very least have the documentation reflect the required location of x-axis data.

BW

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Answer 3

SGIII

Level 8

35,990 points

Apr 23, 2022 5:34 AM in response to BWhitman

BWhitman wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, but after further investigation I think that the problem is that the scatter plot does not work correctly if the x-axis data are dates in the header column (plot in upper left).

As I posted above: "For a 2D Scatter make sure you do not have a Header Column in your table."

SG

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Answer 4

SGIII

Level 8

35,990 points

Apr 21, 2022 10:38 PM in response to BWhitman

Not sure what is going on from your description.

Some things to check.

For a 2D Scatter make sure you do not have a Header Column in your table. (For Line and other category charts you need a Header Column, but you don't want one for 2D Scatter).

Click the chart, then Edit Data References and see what the settings are at the lower left.

Experiment with changing what is selected there.

If you haven't done so already be sure to check out the 'Scatter Chart' sheet in the 'Charting Basics' template at File > New in your menu for a working example.

SG

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Answer 5

BWhitman Author

Level 1

22 points

Apr 22, 2022 1:51 PM in response to SGIII

Thanks for the suggestions, but after further investigation I think that the problem is that the scatter plot does not work correctly if the x-axis data are dates in the header column (plot in upper left). It does work if the x-axis data are numbers vice dates (no example shown). Looking at the data series (upper right corner of screenshot), the plot is using the Y column for both x and y axes. I have tried to change it to use the 1st column as the x-axis data, but it always changes back so that the same data series appears in both X Value & Y Value. If I use dates in the 2nd column as the x-axis data, it plots correctly (upper right plot).

Interestingly enough, a line chart plotted using x-axis data from the first column plots correctly (lower left plot), but attempting to plot a line chart using the 2nd column for the X axis data is not correct (lower right plot - apparently the 1st column is always assumed to contain x-axis data)

None of the documentation I have read mentions these restrictions.

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Scatter Chart in Numbers

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