Introduction to Spreadsheets Microsoft Excel A program which allows you to perform complex mathematical operations in an organized manner. What is a spreadsheet? A spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns containing numbers and text.

Terms you need to know Rows Columns Range Cells Active Cell Cell Address Workbook Worksheet Labels Numeric Labels Values Mathematical Operators Orders of Operation Equation Formula Function Formula

Some Terms Workbook - An excel file that contains single or multiple worksheets. Worksheet - One page in an Excel workbook

Rows vs. Columns Rows -Identified by 1,2,3, etc. and goes across the spreadsheet horizontally Columns -Identified by A,B,C and goes across the spreadsheet vertically.

The Size of the Spreadsheet Number of Rows Number of Columns - 256

Cell This is where a row and column meet. Each cell has a cell location. Examples of this are A1, C5, Z34. Label-alphanumeric data that describes the values that follow and cannot be used in a calculation. Value-Numeric data that can be used in calculations. Range-A rectangular group of adjacent cells.

Columns ROWsROWs Active Cell Range

Cell Address Edit Cell Label Numeric Label

LabelValue

Mathematical Operators Addition + Subtraction – Multiplication * Division / + X -

Orders of Operation 1. Parenthesis 2. Exponents 3. Multiplication 4. Division 5. Addition 6. Subtraction

Two Types of Formulas A formula in an instruction to calculate a number. All formulas begin with an equal sign = Equation Formulas Use mathematical operators Function Formulas Use function names (no math operators)

Equation Formulas To add = cell+cell+cell To subtract =cell-cell To multiply =cell*cell To divide = cell/cell Or any combination of math operators: Example = A1*10 Example = (A1+B3)*B7+10 A1 = 10 B3 = 2 B7= 5

Function Formulas = function name (cell:cell) Function Names SUM – adds a range of cells AVERAGE – finds the average of a range of cells MIN – lowest value in a range MAX – highest value in a range COUNT – number of cells filled with a value COUNTA number of cells filled with a label

Function Formulas The first step to using formulas is to think about what mathematical operation you want to accomplish. It helps sometimes to write the math problem on paper first. Next click on the cell where you want the answer to the formula to appear. Choose the formula you want from the drop down menu next to the SUM icon. Select the cells you want to include in the operation. If EXCEL guesses the cells for you, MAKE SURE TO VERIFY THAT THOSE ARE THE CELLS YOU WANT! EXCEL IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!!

Formulas and Functions Formulas always begin with the “=“ sign. This symbol tells Excel that a calculation is required. Formulas do not include spaces, and can include values and/or references to other cells.

Formulas To Add: =cell+cell+cell or =sum(Range) To Subtract: =cell-cell To Multiply: =cell*cell To Divide: =cell/cell To Average: =average(range) Lowest #: =min(range) Highest#: =max(range) Count#s: =count(range) Count Labels: =counta(range) Conditional Statement: =if(condition, then x, else y)

Checklist (for each spreadsheet) Headings Centered Over Columns Title Centered over the Spreadsheet Correct Formulas Decimals aligned in numeric columns Commas and Dollar Signs where appropriate Centered Vertically and Horizontally on page Name, Period, and Name of Spreadsheet in the Header