Excel to numbers

Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro OSX
I've just got a macbook pro as my first mac and I'm loving it, but having some teething problems...

I'm a physicist so spend a LOT of time on excel (and now pages) analysing data. Could anyone answer me a few questions?

1) On excel there is a function which allows you to double click the bottom right corner of a cell, and the data automatically fills all the way to the bottom of that column. I know you can use this corner to 'drag' the data down, but when you've got 1800 rows this takes quite a while!

Alternatively, if this is not possible, can you speed up the rate at which data can be dragged down (so I suppose scroll rate maybe?) as I've just spent nearly 5 minutes scrolling down the page!

2) How do you put two sets of data on one graph? On excel this was easy by just highlighting 3 columns of data rather than 2, but seemingly not possible in Numbers?

3) Once you have a graph, and you put a line of best fit in (I have used inspector for this) is it possible to extrapolate the line (for example, so you can see the y-intercept, or to estimate values outside the range you have data for).

Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Georgia
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
299
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15"
Assuming you're using Excel 2008 so I'll tackle number one.
Put your beginning value in the top column - or where you want it to begin.
Select the column where you want to put the incremental numbers.
Click on EDIT -> FILL then SERIES.
Enter your step value, and the ending value and you're done!
attachment.php


There is no 'bottom' of the column. It will go on forever if you keep scrolling down.

Screen shot 2010-04-20 at 4.57.27 PM.jpg
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
2,116
Reaction score
123
Points
63
Location
Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
Your Mac's Specs
1.8 GHz i7 MBA 11" OSX 10.8.2
You mention pages and numbers. If you are using numbers
1) Select the bottom most cell you care about - 1800 in your case. Hold shift - and click to the cell you want to fill with at the top of the column - Insert -> fill down or Fill up - depending on which way you want to fill.

2)I selected 3 columns - and it does plot them on the same graph. Now it seems alot more limited on how you get to select x and y axis but inspector seems to have choices on how to deal with it a bit.

3) In inspector click show equation - set X to 0 and that should get you your y intercept - and in theory you should be able to use that equation to extrapolate no?

Screen shot 2010-04-20 at 3.48.14 PM.png
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
299
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15"
Oops...
I thought he was using Office.
Anyway its nice to see Macs being used in the sciences.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top