Intro. to Spreadsheets Using Microsoft Excel

What is a Spreadsheet? It is a software tool for entering, calculating, manipulating, and analyzing sets of numbers. Practical uses of spreadsheets include: Family budgets Company payroll Supply orders

Navigating in Excel Excel consists of: Worksheets (an individual page or tab; made-up of a grid of rows/columns). It has: 16,384 Columns 1,048,576 Rows Workbooks (collection of worksheets) Has three default worksheets; Can add or delete as needed

Entering Data in a Worksheet An Excel Spreadsheet can hold several types of data including: Labels (text) - usually used for identifying row/column headings Values - starts with a number or one of the following symbols (=, -, $, and +) Dates Formulas - used for doing arithmetic operations Use the mouse or arrow keys to select the active cell you wish to enter data into All cells have a cell address which is the column and row identifier for that cell. Ex. – If you are working in a cell where column B intersects with row 3, that cell’s address is B3

Replacing Cell Content You can edit or replace the contents of a cell. To do this you can either: Key the new data and press Enter or if a cell contains a long or complicated entry, you can edit it rather than rekeying the entire entry by: Double-clicking the cell Click the cell and press F2 Click the cell and then click anywhere in the formula bar

Modifying Column Width Excel makes all columns 8.43 spaces wide Many labels do not fit in a column this wide, so if the column on the right is empty, the label spills into the next cell. However, if the column on the right is not empty, you need to widen the column so the label is not cut off. You will also need to widen the column if a # symbol appears in the column after entering a formula, date, or number. Ways to resize columns: Drag a column or row border to a different size Double-click a column’s right border to AutoFit the column

Selecting Cell Ranges A range is a group of cells that form a rectangle on the screen. When a range is active, it is highlighted on the screen. A range address shows the upper left cell address and the lower right cell address, separated by a colon.

Formulas Formulas are a series of instructions that perform a calculation and displays an answer. A formula always begins with an = sign. After the = sign, you enter the address of the cells you want to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Example: =B5+D5; =B5-D5; =B5*D5; =B5/D5

Functions Functions are built-in mathematical formula included in Excel. They perform many specialized calculations automatically. Examples: COUNT SUM MAX MIN

Series A series is a sequence of numbers. Examples 1,2,3 10/21/07, 10/22/07, 10/23/07 January, February, March To enter a series, drag the fill handle, a small square in the lower-right corner of the active cell. The mouse pointer changes to a + as you draw over the range of cells you want to fill with the series.