Plotting a Difference wave in Excel

In summary, the conversation discusses how to plot the difference between two sinusoidal voltage waves in Excel. The first wave has more readings than the second, and the speaker seeks advice on how to accurately depict the difference between the two waves. Interpolation and standardization are suggested as possible methods for achieving this.
  • #1
ZedCar
354
1
I have plotted two approximately sinusoidal waves in one Excel graph. Both waves are voltage, on the y-axis, against time the x-axis. Though both waves are not identical, being out of sync a little.


The first wave has quite a lot more readings which make it than the second wave.


If I want to produce another Excel graph depicting a wave of the difference in these two, how would I do that?


Thanks for any advice!
 
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  • #2
You have a graph of v(t) vs t and i(t) vs t?

To be meaningful, you need to take the difference between terms with equal time-stamps.
This will usually mean doing some interpolation - though, if the two graphs share a lot of the same times, you may get away with just plotting the differences of the times they have in common.

iirc excell has interpolation functions - so it is probably easiest to just standardize the two data-sets and subtract them.
 

Related to Plotting a Difference wave in Excel

1. How do I create a difference wave in Excel?

To create a difference wave in Excel, you can first calculate the difference between two sets of data and then plot that difference as a line graph. You can use the formula "=B1-A1" (assuming your data is in columns A and B) to calculate the difference in a third column. Then, highlight the difference data and select "Insert" > "Line" from the menu to plot it as a line graph.

2. Can I customize the appearance of the difference wave in Excel?

Yes, you can customize the appearance of the difference wave by right-clicking on the graph and selecting "Format Data Series". From there, you can change the line color, thickness, and style as well as add markers or adjust the axes and labels.

3. How can I add error bars to my difference wave in Excel?

To add error bars to your difference wave, you can first calculate the standard deviation of the difference data and add that as a new column. Then, select the difference data and the standard deviation data and click on "Insert" > "Line" > "Error Bars" from the menu. From there, you can customize the error bars to your preference.

4. Is there a way to plot a difference wave for more than two sets of data in Excel?

Yes, you can plot a difference wave for more than two sets of data in Excel by first calculating the difference between each set of data and then plotting the differences on the same graph. You can also use a pivot table to calculate the differences between multiple sets of data and then plot the results as a line graph.

5. Can I save my difference wave graph in Excel?

Yes, you can save your difference wave graph in Excel by clicking on "File" > "Save As" and choosing a file format such as .xlsx or .csv. You can also copy and paste the graph into another program or use the "Export" function to save it as an image or PDF file.

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