Microsoft Excel 2010 Basics for Grades Part 1:4
Define worksheets and workbooks
A worksheet
Identify cell reference A cell reference is the set of coordinates that a cell
occupies on a worksheet. For example, the reference of the cell that appears at the
intersection of column B and row 3 is B3. A cell reference refers to a cell or a range
of cells on a worksheet and can be used in a formula so that Microsoft Office Excel
can find the values or data that you want that formula to calculate.
Enter and edit data in cells You have several options when you want to
enter data manually in Excel. You can enter data in one cell, in several cells at the
same time, or on more than one at once. The data that you enter can be numbers,
text, dates, or times. You can format the data in a variety of ways. And, there are
several settings that you can adjust to make data entry easier for you.
Move, copy, and paste data The fill handle, to move and copy cells by
doing the following:
Move a cell or range of cells by positioning the mouse pointer on a cell or cell
range border so that it changes to a move pointer, and then dragging the cell to
another location.
Copy a cell or range of cells by holding down CTRL while you position the mouse
pointer on a cell or cell range border so that it changes to a copy pointer, and then
dragging the cell or range of cells to another location.
Drag the fill handle to copy data or to fill adjacent cells with a series of data.
Create a formula
A formula is
You can create a simple formula by using constants and calculation operators. For
example, the formula =5+2*3, multiplies two numbers and then adds a number to
the result. Excel follows the standard order of mathematical operations. PEMDAS
or "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" is a common acronym that stands for
Parentheses, Exponentiation, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.
You can also create a formula by using a function. A For example, the formulas
=SUM(A1:A2) and SUM(A1,A2) both use the SUM function to add the values in cells
A1 and A2.
Formulas: A formula can contain any or all of the following parts:
Functions. A function, such as AVERAGE( ), starts with an equal sign (=),
and you can enter arguments Each function has a specific argument syntax.
Cell references. You can refer to data in worksheet cells by including cell
references in the formula. For example, the cell reference A2 returns the value of
that cell or uses that value in the calculation.
Constants. You can also enter constants, such as numbers (such as 2),
directly into a formula.
Operators. Operators are the symbols that are used to specify the type of
calculation that you want the formula to perform. For example, the ^ (caret)
operator raises a number to a power, and the * (asterisk) operator multiplies
numbers.
Insert rows or columns
1. Do one of the following:
To insert a single row, select either the whole row or a cell in the row
above which you want to insert the new row. For example, to insert a new
row above row 5, click a cell in row 5.
To insert multiple rows, select the rows above which you want to insert
rows. Select the same number of rows as you want to insert. For example,
to insert three new rows, you select three rows.
To insert nonadjacent rows, hold down CTRL while you select
nonadjacent rows.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click
the arrow next to Insert, and then click Insert
Sheet Rows.
Delete cells, rows, or columns
1. Select the rows, or columns that you want to delete.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, do one of the following:
To delete selected cells, click the arrow next
to Delete, and then click Delete Cells.
To delete selected rows, click the arrow next to Delete, and then click
Delete Sheet Rows.
To delete selected columns, click the arrow next to Delete, and then click
Delete Sheet Columns.
Tip You can right-click a selection of cells, rows or columns and then click
Insert or Delete.
Note When you insert or delete rows and columns on your worksheet, all
references that are affected by the insertion adjust accordingly, whether they are
relative or absolute cell references. The same behavior applies to deleting rows,
except when a deleted cell is directly referenced by a formula. If you want references
to adjust automatically, it's a good idea to use range references whenever appropriate
in your formulas, rather than specifying individual cells.
Change the width of a column At times, a cell might display #####.
This can occur when the column cannot display all the characters that its format
requires. To see the entire contents of the cell you must increase the width of the
column.
1. Click the cell for which you want to change
the column width.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click
Format.
3. Under Cell Size, do one of the following:
To fit all text in the cell, click AutoFit Column
Width.
To specify a larger column width, click Column Width, and then type the
width that you want in the Column width box.
4. You can also point to the column header line that
separates the column you want to widen and the
next column to the right and double-click.
Double-clicking between column B and C will
adjust the width of column B.