What does a chart do that a spreadsheet does not?

Answer 1

A chart is a graphical representation of your figures in your spreadsheet, like in a pie chart, a line chart or a column chart for example. The spreadsheet itself is just consists of the figures and headings, all arranged in an orderly fashion, and from which you can make a chart. You can embed a chart into your spreadsheet or have it on a worksheet of its own. So charts are part of the spreadsheet program.

Answer 2

The difference is huge.

You can not store or manipulate data using a calculator in any way that compares with the functionality of Excel. If you use Excel and experiment (and read the help files) with the uses it can be put to you will quickly start to appreciate the difference.

Answer 3

A chart is not necessarily a better way. It is just a different way and can be a simple way of demonstrating the overall impact of the data, and the information that has been derived from it. It can be easy to explain in general terms with a chart than with just the data itself. Many people take things in visually, so can understand it better. Others want the specific details. It depends on the context. Sometimes we need to see the detail and other times we just need an overview. Data works with charts. Charts can only be generated if the data is there.

Answer 4

A chart is a visual way of presenting data. Often a chart is generated from data in a spreadsheet, so the two normally come together, not separately. A spreadsheet is mainly used for calculations. If you have a set of completed figures on which no calculations are needed and you want to show them in a chart, then you could draw a chart from them without using any spreadsheet. You could draw it by hand or using some other computer application.

Even if you did have a set of figures that no calculations were needed on, you could still type those into a spreadsheet and create a chart from them, as it might be simpler and the chart would be more accurate than doing it by hand or with another application.

Answer 5

Because Charts can store information more easily