Charts show visual relationships. Excel not only represents sorting, compiling and calculating numbers but also represents their solution graphically. A Chart is a visual presentation of one or more data. A Chart is a single document that displays graphics.
Chart definitions
An Excel chart is a graphic representation of worksheet data.

· Chart area: the entire region surrounding the chart, just outside the plot area.
· Plot area: the area between the axes where the data is plotted.
· Axis: lines bordering the plot area that provide a frame of reference for measurement or comparison on a chart.
For most charts data values are plotted along the value (y) axis, which is usually vertical, and categories are plotted along the category (x) axis, which is usually horizontal. Exceptions - Pie charts have no axis, bar charts reverse the axis, and xy (scatter) charts plot values along two value axis.
· Data markers: a bar, dot, slice or other symbol in a chart that represents a single data point or value originating from a worksheet cell.
· Data series: a group of related data points that originate from single worksheet cells or columns.
· Legend: a box containing legend entries and keys that help to identify the data series (or categories) in a chart.
Chart types
Excel offers a variety of chart types, each with a large number of formatting options to display the data as you wish.
The table below summarises some of the more commonly used charts.