Wide Open Spaces! Close Button

For this activity you will use a spreadsheet to determine how many people per square mile various States have. The Population spreadsheet has been completed for the 10 Largest States. You will create new cells in the 10 Smallest States spreadsheet to reflect the number of people per square mile.


  1. Click the Population icon to open the spreadsheet.
  2. Print the spreadsheet to use for comparison later.


  3. Here is the information for the 10 Smallest States:


    4. State Population Size in Square Miles
    South Carolina 4,012,012 30,111
    West Virginia 1,808,344 24,087
    Maryland 5,296,486 9,775
    Vermont 608,827 9,249
    New Hampshire 1,235,786 8,969
    Massachusetts 6,349,097 7,838
    New Jersey 8,414,350 7,418
    Hawaii 1,211,537 6,423
    Connecticut 3,405,565 4,845
    Delaware 783,600 1,955
    Rhode Island 1,048,319 1,045


  4. Click the tab labeled "10 Smallest States" and create a new spreadsheet by entering the Population and Size information in the cells using the information above.


  5. Now, you need to create a pie chart in the spreadsheet.


  6. Make sure the spreadsheet is open.


  7. Click cell A3, hold the left mouse button, and drag the mouse pointer through to cell A3, keep pressing the mouse button and then drag to cell B12. You have selected the range A3:B12.


  8. Click the Chart Wizard button on the Standard toolbar.


  9. The Chart Wizard dialog box is displayed. Choose the pie chart and click the Finish button.


  10. Place the pointer on the chart and then hold down the left mouse button. Drag the chart down so that the top of the chart is below row 17.


  11. Save your work with a new file name either on your floppy disk or your desktop.


  12. Print your spreadsheet and the chart.


  13. Close the file and quit the program.


  14. What differences do you see between the two spreadsheets?


  15. Do States with more area have a larger population than those with less area?