Error bars

Sometimes the chart will show values ​​that are not reliable. In that case, it would be good to emphasize to the observer that the error exists, and how its tolerance is. For this purpose, error lines are used that express a potential error, relative to the point or marker for the given data set. They can also be used to highlight some future trends, or to make assumptions about future value data.

To add error lines, we need to have a chart, based on a single set of data. Then we add the error lines in the following way: in the Design ribbon we choose Add Chart Element, further should select Error Bars menu, and choose one of the options offered. These are: removing the existing error bars (None), Standard Error, Percent and Standard Deviation. If we choose the last item in the menu (More Error Bars options), we will open the menu on the right side of the chart with details regarding error bars.

First, we can choose Direction. These can be: positive error values ​​(Plus), negative values ​​(Minus) or both positive and negative values ​​(Both). Then, we choose the End Style, which may be: No Cap or Cap.

At the bottom of the menu, there are options to choose how errors are calculated and to adjust the values ​​entered in that account. We can choose to set a Fixed Value, Percent, Standard Deviation, or to calculate errors by using a standard error formula. Finally, we can also choose Custom, after which by clicking on the Specify Value button we open a dialog window in which you need to enter the cell ranges from where the positive and negative errors are taken.