Chapter 6 Calculations, Visualization, and Simulation

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 2 The Spreadsheet Cell A1 Cell C12 The spreadsheet consists of:  Cells (the intersection of a row and column)  Addresses (column letter and row number, e.g., A1, C12)

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 3 Spreadsheets can contain: The Spreadsheet  Values such as numbers and dates  Labels that explain what a value means, such as column and report headings

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 4 The Spreadsheet Formulas allow you to create instructions using mathematical expressions and commands + (plus) - (minus) *(multiplication) / (division) Sum Average

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 5 Order of Operations 1.Parentheses 2.Multiplication / Division 3.Addition / Subtraction Operations having the same level of priority, such as multiplication and division are evaluated from left to right Example: / 2 * (3 – 1) 1 + 8/2 * *

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 6 Spreadsheets offer many automatic features such as replication of data Type the first value in the series such as Qtr 1 or January or 500 and let the software replicate it to other cells. Spreadsheet Features

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 7 Spreadsheet Features Formulas can be relative, so they refer to different cells when they are copied When the formula in column B is copied to column C, it changes relative to the new column.

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 8 Spreadsheet Features Formulas can also be absolute, so the cell references don’t change when they are copied The $ before the row and column references prevent that part of the formula from being changed when it’s moved or copied.

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 9 Spreadsheet Features Automatic recalculation

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 10 Spreadsheet Features Functions (e.g., SUM, AVG, SQRT) are used to automate complex calculations Macros let you store keystrokes and commands so they can be played back automatically Templates offer ready-to-use worksheets with labels and formulas already entered

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 11 Spreadsheet Features Linking spreadsheets together When the value change in one spreadsheet, the data is automatically updated in all linked spreadsheets

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 12 Spreadsheet Features Database capabilities  Search for information  Sort the data by a specific criteria  Merge the data with a word processor  Generate reports

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 13 Spreadsheets allow you to change numbers and instantly see the effects of those changes.  “What if I enter this value?” Equation solvers  Some spreadsheets generate data needed to fit a given equation and target value. “What If?”

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 14 Charts allow you to turn numbers into visual data:  Pie charts (show relative proportions to the whole)  Line charts (show trends or relationships over time) Spreadsheet Graphics: From Digits to Drawings

 2002 Prentice Hall. Modified by M Ferner 15 Spreadsheet Graphics: From Digits to Drawings  Bar charts (use if data falls into a few categories)  Scatter charts (use to discover, rather than to display, a relationship between two variables)