Spreadsheets are very useful computer programs which are used primarily for processing columns of numbers.  A spreadsheet is like an "electronic ledger book."  It will add up columns of numbers, and if you change a number in the column, the total is automatically corrected.  You can use a spreadsheet to do your checkbook, keep records for a business, prepare your taxes, or keep any kind of records.  I use one to keep the grades for our classes - if I make a correction or add an item the total grade is automatically corrected.  I can also sort the rows by student number instead of by name.  Spreadsheets can do all kinds of arithmetical operations.  They also make graphs, although they aren't necessarily the best software for graphics - I prefer to use Harvard Graphics or SPSS.  For this assignment, we will use the very popular Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet program.  Rutgers has plenty of copies on the student server on clam - you enter through Windows.

In a Spreadsheet, columns are labeled with letters and rows with numbers.  We enter our data in columns.  Put the years or the category labels in the first column.  Put the numbers in the second column.  Put a label in the box above the numbers describing what the numbers measure.  You can put more than one number in a box and have the computer add them up.  To do this, begin with the = sign, then use the + sign between numbers.  For example, if you enter =55+190, the box will show 245.  You can also use symbols to combine boxes, for example =B6+B7 will combine the numbers in B6 and B7 and put them in the new box.

Now you are ready to make a graph.  Highlight the cells that will go into your graph, including the labels and the years.  When they are highlighted, click on "insert" and "chart"  You can either put your chart on this "sheet" or on another "sheet".  Move the cursor down and hold down the button to mark out the space where you want your graph to appear.  Put it right under your numbers.  At this point, the program will ask you a series of questions.   The first asks whether you have highlighted the correct cells, if not you can correct it.  Then go on to the next box.  In the next box, just click for the kind of graph you want.  For time series graphs we choose "scatter."  You can also make pie charts, column charts, etc.  You can experiment with this.  On the next query box, instruct the program to use the first column for x data and the first row for labels.  On the next query box, add a chart title and axis titles.

With these steps, you should have a fine chart on your worksheet.  If you need "help" as you go along, you can click on "help."  There are also books you can buy on Excel.  Or you can use any other spreadsheet program.  You can add your titles and descriptive paragraph simply by typing the material on the spreadsheet itself.

In printing your chart, unless you have a color printer, you should opt for "page setup," then go to "sheet" and then fill in the box for "black and white" (unless you are using a color printer.  Otherwise, the colored lines may not be visible.  You may also wish to use "landscape" rather than "portrait" format, since otherwise some of your material may disappear on the right margin. You can experiment with lots of other options.

Here's a link to an example of how to  do a time series graph in Excel.

To do regression in Excel, we have to use the Data Analysis tool on the Tools menu.  If Data Analysis is not installed, go to tools/add ins  and install it.
Follow the online instructions.

You can then use the regression tool to make predictions by entering the formula in a cell.  You can copy this formula down a column to do a number of predictions.

For an example, download the Property Crimes file and open it with Excel.