EXCEL LESSON 1

WHAT IS EXCEL? Excel is a spreadsheet program. A spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns in which you enter text, numbers, and formulas and it calculates the results. The advantage of an electronic spreadsheet is that the content can be easily edited and updated to reflect changing data.

WORKSHEET AND WORKBOOK When you start Excel 2010 the programs starts with three blank worksheets: Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. In 2013, it starts with only one worksheet. The name of the worksheet appears on the worksheet tab. To rename or move the worksheet, simply RIGHT-click with your mouse.

WORKSHEET AND WORKBOOK A worksheet is one spreadsheet in a workbook.  Sheet 1 is a worksheet.  Sheet 2 is another worksheet. A workbook is a collection of related worksheets.  All three sheets, Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3, make the workbook.

COMPONENTS Name Box is a box on the spreadsheet (just below the toolbar) that contains the cell reference for the active cell. Formula Bar is a box on the spreadsheet (just below the toolbar) that contains the formula or data contained in the active cell. A Formula is a series of calculations, expressions, numbers, and operators to carry out a command in mathematics. Name Box Formula Bar

CELLS A cell is the intersection of a row or column. An active cell is the cell that is highlighted. This cell address shows up in the name box. The cell address is the designation for a cell (for example: A5 or C17). This is the active cell. Its cell address is C2.

CELLS A value is numeric data that is entered into a cell.  It can contain a plus or minus sign, digits, and a decimal point.  Values can be used in calculations. They are aligned to the right. A label is alphanumeric data.  It can contain letters, punctuation marks, symbols, or numbers.  Labels are not used in calculations. They are aligned to the left. This is a value. This is a label. 45 labels A great way to remember this is that Labels and Left begin with L

COLUMNS AND ROWS A row is a horizontal line of data that is identified by a number on the left side. A column is a vertical line of data that is identified by a letter at the top. Row Column

OTHER TERMS Zooming magnifies or reduces the view of the worksheet. A range is a set of adjoining highlighted cells (for example: B5:B18). Notice that the cell references are separated by a colon. The range is highlighted. This range is A1:C2.

OTHER FORMATTING Border places a line around a cell or range of cells. Merge and Center combines several cells into one cell and places the text in the middle of the merged cell.

CELL SIZE Autofit is an Excel feature that will automatically size a column as wide as the longest entry of the cells in the column. Cell size can also be adjusted using row height and column width found in the CELL group on the ribbon.

NAVIGATING LARGE WORKSHEETS The Go To command is the fastest way to move to a particular cell. Ctrl+G is a keyboard shortcut to access this command. Find locates data in a worksheet. Replace substitutes new data for the found data. Ctrl+End will quickly jump to the last cell in a worksheet.

TIME SAVERS – AUTOFILL Sometimes you need to enter a lot of repetitive information in Excel, such as dates, and it can be really tedious. AutoFill can help. Type the first date in the series. Put the mouse pointer over the bottom right-hand corner of the cell until it’s a black plus sign. Click and hold the left mouse button, and drag the plus sign over the cells you want to fill. And Excel fills in the series for you automatically using the AutoFill feature.

TIME SAVERS – FLASH FILL A new feature in Excel 2013, Flash Fill can enter data automatically into your worksheet, saving you time and effort. Flash Fill can guess what type of information or determine a pattern to save you time. Enter the desired information into your worksheet. A Flash Fill preview will appear below the selected cell whenever Flash Fill is available.

TYPES OF NUMBER FORMATS Number Formats change the way the data looks in the cell.  General is the default format for data in a cell.  Currency is the format that displays numerical data so that it is preceded by a dollar sign, such as $4.85.  Percent will display the number.60 as 60.0%.  Commas is the format that displays numbers over 999 with commas in appropriate locations, such as 1,950.