Year 10 Introduction to Spreadsheets
General Information
Cells
A spreadsheet is like a large grid or table of cells. A cell is found at the intersection of each row and
column, and is referred to (usually) by its column letter and row number. For example the top left cell
is Al. Columns are given a letter of the alphabet. After Z the next column is AA, then AB etc. and
Excel allows columns up to IV, giving 256 columns. Rows are numbered from top to bottom, and
Excel has 65,536 rows. This means there are 16,777,216 cells that could be used, but this is restricted
by the practicality of finding your way around the spreadsheet, and by the available RAM (internal
computer memory).
Cells can contain three different types of entries.
* Text
* Numbers
* Formulae
Text and Numbers
Text and Numbers can be Formatted in a number of ways e.g. font (letter style), size, style (bold,
italic, etc) and alignment (where it is placed within the cell). In addition some numbers can be
formatted to give some meaning to the number (e.g. $, %, time, date etc).
Formulae
Formulae are one of the most important aspects of a neat and correctly working spreadsheet. Very
useful and powerful spreadsheets often use only very simple formulae. Using formulae instead of
using numbers, a spreadsheet can be made to answer a lot of what if’s by changing only a few key
entries.
Formulae normally only show while they are being entered or in the edit bar when the cell is selected.
The result of the formula is shown instead. With simple formula the result is a number, the
appearance of which can be formatted like any other directly entered number. More sophisticated
formula can show text as a result.
All the formulae in a spreadsheet can be shown, and printed by changing the options in
Options/Display, so that the "Formulas" box has a cross in it. Excel will automatically widen columns
when displaying formulae.
FORMULAE ALWAYS START WITH AN = SIGN. Without it the contents of the cell are treated as
text. If the = sign is forgotten select the cell click at the beginning of the entry in the edit bar, insert
the = sign, and press <Enter>.
For the standard calculations required the spreadsheet uses:
=
to start the formula (the spreadsheet will show the result of the following material)
+
plus (add)
minus (take)
*
multiply, (note that X will not work!)
/
divide (the  sign is not used)
()
brackets are often required so that certain parts of the formulae are calculated first.
Brackets can be used even when not strictly required, but to help the user to
understand the formula.
Formulae often use Functions. Commonly used functions are SUM, AVERAGE, MAX
(maximum) and MIN, (minimum). Functions normally require a range of cells to be entered,
e.g. to add up the contents of cells C3 down to C13 the formula/function =SUM(C3:C13)
would be entered.
When entering cell references it is important to make sure that the cell you are entering the
formula into is itself not included as part of the formula. The spreadsheet will give the
message that it cannot resolve circular differences.
When entering a cell reference, if the formula is likely to be copied, or used to "Fill down/Fill
right", it is important to work out whether relative (e.g. =Al) or absolute (e.g. =$A$1)
referencing is used.
Note: Most of the techniques and menus you used in the Wordprocessing exercises are
applicable to spreadsheets as well. Hence, to highlight cells, simply drag the mouse over
them, to copy information from one cell to another, go to the Edit Menu and select Copy etc.
RELATIVE ADDRESSING
A relative reference gives general directions to the spreadsheet rather than a specific location.
It's like saying, "Go up two blocks and over one". If you copy a relative reference to another
cell, the reference changes relative to its new position. For example if a relative reference
points two rows up and one column to the right, and you copy the formula to another location,
it still points two rows up and one column to the fight, but it points to a different cell than it
did originally.
A
B
C
1
2
3
Original
4
Copy
What does the above do?
Formulae
Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\FORMULAE.XLS that you will
find in the directory. Complete the following operations on the spreadsheet.
a) Set the margins to l cm. This should be standard practice on all spreadsheets.
b) Enter formulae into cells B6 to E6. In cell B6 follow this procedure
i)
type =SUM(
ii) highlight cells A2 to F2
iii) and press the Enter key, the ) will automatically be included.
The formula =SUM(A2:F2) should now appear in the input line and 192 should be in
cell B6.
c)
In a similar way, put the formulae =AVERAGE(A2:F2) into cell C6, =MAX(A2:F2)
in D6 and =MIN(A2:F2) in E6.
d) Now copy cells B6 to E6 into cells B7 to E7 by
i) highlighting cells B6 to E6
ii) press the copy button on the tool bar
iii) put your cursor onto B7 and press Enter. What do you notice has happened to the
formulae as you have copied them to the new cells?
c) Enter your name into cell A9 and print out your spreadsheet.
Electricity
Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\ELECTRIC.XLS that you will find
in the directory. Complete the following operations on the spreadsheet.
a) Set the margins to 1 cm. (Use File Page Setup).
b) Enter appropriate formulae in the empty cells and Fill them into the other cells, thus
keeping the amount of typing to a minimum.
c) Format the cells to Currency with no decimal points, and the cells in row 11 to be
Right Justified.
d) Add your name to the bottom of the spreadsheet and print it out.
Cricket
Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\CRICKET.XLS that you will find
in the directory. Complete the following operations on the spreadsheet.
a) Set the margins to 1 cm.
b) Set the column width for the scores that have been entered to 4 (Select the Format
Menu and Column Width) and the column width for the other columns to 5.
c) Highlight "Total, Ave, High, Low" and make them bold.
d) Put formulae into the cells H3 to K3, and fill them down to H13 to K13 (highlight the
block of cells from H3 to K13 and then grab the dot on the bottom corner of the
cursor).
c) Put formula into cell B14 and fill it across to G14.
f) Add your name to the bottom of the spreadsheet and print it out.
Hardware
Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\HARDWARE.XLS that you will
find in the directory. Complete the following operations on the spreadsheet.
a) Set the margins to 1 cm and remove the footer.
b) Adjust the column widths so that all the information fits in them.
c) Put today's date into cell B4 in the form 3/8 and format the cell to show it as 3 August
(Format menu/Time date).
d) Format cell A15 to percentage with 0 decimal places.
c) Add formulae to cell D7 and fill down. Now add formulae to D14, D15 and D17.
f) Format the cells with money in them to Currency, underline cell D12 and D17, and
make the headings in row 6 bold and centred in the cells.
g) Add your name to the bottom of the spreadsheet and print it out.
A pack of flies
The Department of Tourism set up 100 fly monitoring stations in some of the outback tourist
attractions to see what effect the number of flies had on the number of tourists that visited that
location. The readings in this file represent the average over the 100 stations of sightings of
flies in different resorts of the state during months of 1998 and 1999.
1. Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS \PACK OF FLIES.XLS and
set the margins to 1 cm.
2. Move the table of information across 10 columns. To do this, highlight the block of
information, select Cut from the Edit menu, place your cursor into cell K1 and press
Enter (Can you do it another way? Is it easier? What can go wrong?).
3. Copy the "Week" titles across the top of the columns into B3 to F3 and add another
heading "Month Totals" into G3. Also copy the "Month" titles into cells A4 to A27.
Make these headings bold and add a title to your spreadsheet "Statistics for fly
populations of South Australia: 1998 and 1999" in cell A1.
4. In the new area you have just created, you are to put values that are 100 times as large as
those in the table you have moved. To do this, type in the formula into cell B4 and then
Fill Right and Fill Down to put formula into all the other cells.
5. Put a heading in G3 of Month Totals and put in the formulae to calculate them.
6. In A29, A30 etc, put headings Weekly Statistics, Average, Maximum and Minimum.
Put formulae into the cells next to Average, Maximum and Minimum to do the
appropriate calculations for each week.
7. Put your name into cell A33.
8. Highlight the cells from A1 to G33 and choose "Select Print Area" from the Print menu.
Print out the selected part of the spreadsheet.
Test your Skills
Open the file INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\OPSKILLS.XLS, set margins to
1 cm. Follow the instructions in the spreadsheet and print out the spreadsheet after you have
added your name to the bottom.
Getting a Head
The "Blow Wave" hairdressing salon ran a competition between its hairstylists to increase its
profits and to encourage them to give better service to the clients. This spreadsheet contains
the number of clients that each hairstylist served each week in a 20-week competition. You
will need to use some of the techniques that you learned in the previous exercise to complete
this assignment.
1. Open INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS\GETTING AHEAD.XLS and set the
margins to 1 cm.
2. Move the information stored in the spreadsheet out of the way so that you have room to
do the rest of the tasks.
3. Put a heading into cell A1 "Earnings of Hairstylists" and copy the headings for the rows
and columns from the table you have just moved.
4. If the hairstylists are paid $2·75 per client, fill in the amount each person earned for each
of the weeks in the competition. Display the weekly income to the nearest dollar.
Reduce the width of the columns so that the information Just fits in.
5. At the bottom of the earnings table, add the headings Statistics for each hairstylist, Ave
Income, Max Income and Min Income. Include formulae to calculate these.
6.
7.
Below these statistics, show the following information in this form
.....
total wage bill
.....
total clients
.....
average number of clients per week
.....
maximum number of clients In one week
.....
minimum number of clients in one week
Note: you may have to make column A wider to fit in the information.
Add your name at the bottom and print out only the earnings information and the statistics that you
have added below them.
HINT: Set the print area to cover just this information.
Personal Timetable
You are to complete a personal timetable for the current month, with your subjects for each
day, the date of each day and the month for which the timetable has been created. In its
preparation, you should use formulae as much as possible, and copy parts of the spreadsheet,
rather than typing the same thing over and over again. The dates must be entered as dates,
and not typed in as strings. Remember the technique you used in making the calendar, and
that will help you insert the dates in the school timetable. The first week of the timetable
should look like this
April, 2000
Week
Monday
April 3
2
Tuesday
April 4
1
2
etc.
6
Wednesday
April 5
English
Maths
Thursday
April 6
Computing
German
Friday
April 7
Maths
Art
Economics
English
Phys Ed
Once you have completed the timetable for the first week, copy it several times underneath
itself so that you have enough copies for the weeks of the month. Modify each of the new
weekly timetables so that they are correct for that week. Don't forget to take account of the
holidays. You could perhaps put "HOLIDAY" in these days.
Adventurers Ltd:
Adventurers Ltd is an exclusive agency from which various heroes, adventurers and agents
can be hired. In an effort to improve both record keeping and confidentiality, computers have
been installed in the organisation. Your first job on the computer is to enter payroll details.
Enter the names of each adventurer and headings for the payroll data form.
ADVENTURER
James Bond
Indiana Jones
Maxwell Smart
Mick Dundee
Simon Templer
Batman
Steve Austin
John Rambo
Clark Kent
HOURLY
RATE
HOURS
WORKED
$200
$95
$86
$54
$100
$40
$50
$180
$100
100
50
99
40
60
100
10
125
80
ORDINARY
PAY
OVERTIME
HOURS
20
10
5
5
40
20
0
0
4
OVERTIME
PAY
GROSS
PAY
Overtime is calculated at 1·5 times the normal hourly rate. Enter formulae into the cells of
the spreadsheet to calculate the Ordinary Pay, Overtime Pay and Gross Pay, filling down to
complete the table.
Enter the deductions to be made from each adventurer in the column after "Gross Pay". Call
the column DEDUCTIONS. Format the column to currency with two decimal places.
Deductions are ... Bond $68, Jones $12·50, Smart $43, Dundee $25·96, Templer $36, Batman
$15, Austin $9·48, Rambo $90, Kent $45·13. Enter in the next column, a heading NET PAY.
Format the column to currency with two decimal places and enter an appropriate formula.
Enter a main heading in rows 1, 2 and 3. ADVENTURERS LTD PAYROLL, DATA WEEK
1, 2000. Reduce the margins and the font size, and print it out. Don't forget your name.
Bacterial Growth
Scientists have studied a certain colony of bacteria and would like you to simulate its growth
over a 24-hour period, by calculating the size of the population each hour. The following
columns are to be set up, and the numbers that appear in the table are the only ones that you
are to put into the spreadsheet. All other cells must have formulae in them.
1
2
3
4
A
Time
B
Temp
0:00
10
C
Percent
Increase
D
Number
at Start
100
E
Number
at End
F
Increase
NOTE: Format Column A as time (12 hours) and Column C as percent (2 decimal places)
and Columns D to F as fixed (2 decimal places)
Formulae in column A =cell above + 1/24
column B =cell above
column C =temp* (40 - temp) / 4000
column D =Number at End from the row above
column E =Number at Start* (1 + Percentage Increase)
column F
= Number at End - Number at Start
These formulas should be filled down so that a full 24 hours is covered.
ABSOLUTE ADDRESSING
An absolute address is like a mailing address. No matter where you copy the reference to, it
still points to the same cell. For example, an absolute reference to cell B1 in the above
diagram always points to B1, even if the formula containing the reference is copied to another
location in the spreadsheet. Excel uses dollar signs to indicate that a row (e.g. A$1), a column
(e.g. $Al) or a cell (e.g. $A$1) is absolute.
In the spreadsheets we have constructed up to date, when we copied formulae into other cells,
the cell references changed as the formulae went from one cell to another. In many
applications, this is what is wanted. This form of cell referencing is called Relative
Addressing. However, there are occasions when we wish to refer to the same cell in the new
formulae. If for example, you wish to use the value in cell D3 when you copied a formula
from one cell to another, we would type the cell reference in as $D$3. This means that
neither the column nor the row will change as the formula is copied. This is called Absolute
Addressing. If you want the row only to remain constant and the column reference can
change, you would use D$3, and for the column to be invariant, while the row may change,
$D3 would be used. To see how this works, try some of the following examples.
Multiplication Tables
1. Put the number 2 in cell A1 and 1 in Cl.
2. Put formulae in cells C2 to C15 to generate numbers 2 to 15 in these cells.
3. Put "x" in D1 and "=" in F1 and fill these columns down to row 15.
4. Put the formula =$A$1 in cell El and fill down to El5.
5. Put the formula =$A$1*Cl in GI and fill the formula down to G15.
6. Try changing the number in cell AI and see what happens to the rest of the
spreadsheet.
Markup & Discount
In the formulae you have used to date, when you have Filled Down, the cell addresses have
changed (e.g. in =A3+2, A3 changes from A3 to A4 to A5 to ... etc). This is called "Relative
Addressing". In some applications, we want the cell address to remain the same as we copy
the formulae to other cells. To achieve this, we would use =A3*$B$1. A3 would change, but
each copied formula would still refer to B1. With this in mind, complete this table, formatting
the appropriate cells. ,
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
Markup
Commission
Discount
B
130%
$15.00
10%
Item
Bed
Table
Rug
Chair
Cost Price
$140.00
$563.00
$132.00
$56.00
C
Selling Price
D
Profit
E
% Profit
Note: Selling price is the Cost Price + Markup * Cost Price
Profit is Selling Price - Commission- Cost Price
% Profit is profit / cost price, formatted to percentage.
Questions: Put the answers to these questions at the bottom of the spreadsheet, along with
your name, and print it out when you have answered all the questions.
a) Add another item under Chair, and find the smallest Cost price that would give you a
$10 profit.
Hint:
Experiment by putting different values for the cost price until the profit is $10.
b) What happens to your answer if you change
i)
the Markup to 110%.
ii)
the Markup is still 130% but the commission is $30.
c) During a sale, the Selling Price formula must be changed to (Cost Price + Markup *
Cost Price) * (1 - Discount). Using only the items above, and the original Markup and
Commission, what is the largest discount and still make a profit of at least $20 on all
the items listed.
Write the answers to the questions at the bottom of your spreadsheet before you print it
out.
Fencing
Load the file FENCING.xls from INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS. Use the
information below to construct a spreadsheet that will allow you to complete the questions. It
must be made so that the cost per metre of fencing can easily be changed.
Paddock
1
2
3
4
Length
200
75
135
900
Fencing Cost
Breadth
50
98
400
700
$7·50
Area
Perimeter
Fence cost
Efficiency
Note: The cost per metre of fencing is initially $7·50. Area is length Breadth.
Perimeter is 2 * (length + Breadth). Fence cost is perimeter * cost per metre.
Efficiency is area / fence cost.
Questions
a) The cost of fencing increases to $8.25 per metre. What is the increase cost of fencing
paddock 3?
b) A farmer has a paddock that has an area of 360000 sq m. By considering paddocks with
lengths of 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, 800, 900m, find the shape that proves to be most
efficient for fencing, i.e. the biggest efficiency.
Hint: If you put these figures into row 7 of the table above, put the formula =36000/B7
into cell C7, once you have entered a number into B7. Fill the other formulae down to
this new row.
Write the answers to the questions at the bottom of your spreadsheet before you print it
out.
Times Tables Revisited
You are to produce a spreadsheet that can print out any times tables from any starting point.
As an example, if we want the 3 times tables, starting from 20, and going to 29, you would
only change the two numbers that are highlighted, and the rest of the spreadsheet would
change.
1
2
3
4
11
A
3
B
times tables from
C
20
3
3
3
3
D
to



etc

E
29
20
21
22
29
F
=
=
=
=
=
=
G
60
63
66
87
Note: The following spreadsheets need to be completed and printed out. They will be used
in your assessment, so they need to be completed.
Virus Populations
In this spreadsheet, you will set up two parts of your spreadsheet. One is the area where you
enter the data and the final results are seen. The other is where all the calculations are done.
Splitting the spreadsheet up in this way makes it easier to read, as you don't have to hunt
around for the results you want to see. Copy the spreadsheet below and complete the
following operations.
a) format column F to Time/Date and time to 24 hours and column G to Fixed 0 decimal
places. Cell B5 also needs to be Fixed to 0 decimal places.
b) put the formula =cell above + 1/24 into cell F4 and copy this formula down to F15.
What does this formula do?
c) using absolute addressing for all but time, put the formula below in cell G3
=initial number * (temperature + 10) * (50 - temperature) * increase % * time
and fill it down to G15.
d) Put the formula =G15 into cell B5.
1
2
3
4
5
e)
f)
A
B
Virus Population Study
Initial Number
100
Temperature
10
Increase %
5%
Final Number
C
D
E
F
G
Time
0:00
&&&&
Number
####
Using the numbers given above, use this spreadsheet to record the temperatures and
final numbers of bacteria for temperatures from –10°C to 50°C. Do this in your book,
as we will use these figures in an exercise later on. Does this simulation make sense
for temperatures outside this range? Why?
Starting with 1000 viruses and optimum temperature conditions, what percentage
increase is needed to reach 1,000,000 viruses by the end of the experiment?
Write the answers to the questions at the bottom of your spreadsheet before you print
it out.
Hills Industries
Load the spreadsheet HILLS.XLS from INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS.
a) Put a formula in cell D9 to calculate the total wage for each employee.
The formula is Hours Worked * Hourly Rate.
b) Put the formula into E9 to calculate the tax that each employee needs to pay. The
formula is Tax * Gross Pay.
c) The Union Fee is calculated as the Gross Pay * Union Fee. This goes in F9.
d) The Net Pay in G9 is Gross Pay - Tax - Union Fee for each employee.
Discounts
Load the spreadsheet DISCOUNTS.xls from INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS and
complete the table to find the total cost of each item, the discount that would be given and the
selling price for the items. You will have to format the cells to Currency and 2 decimal
places. Don't forget to use absolute addressing when you access the discount in cell B1.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
Discount
Item
coat
skirt
jeans
belt
jacket
shoes
B
C
D
E
F
15%
Marked
Number
Total
Price
$253.90
2
$79.99
3
$56.50
5
$23.90
1
$178.95
4
$105.99
20
Discount
Sells for
Notice what happens when you change the discount to 10% and then 25%.
Magazine Sales
Load the spreadsheet MAGAZINE.XLS from SPREADSHEETS and put formulae into the
cells to calculate the total sales figures for each employee and the weekly figures for the
company. If the company wanted to increase the commission it paid its sales force to 25%,
what would have to be the annual subscription so that the total income for the company was
not changed?
Write the answers to the questions at the bottom of your spreadsheet before you print it
out.
Clary's Laundry
Load LAUNDRY from SPREADSHEETS and complete the spreadsheet by putting formulae
into the cells and filling them down.
Note: The time Is actually stored as a number between 0 and 1, indicating the fraction of the
day that has passed since midnight. 6:00 AM is actually stored in Excel as the number 0.25, ie
.25 of a day. In column D, you will have to use the formula (Finished-Started) *24 to find the
number of hours worked.
Spreadsheets and Lookup Tables
The IF function allows you to choose one of two values to be returned. The VLOOKUP
function that is used in this set of exercises allows you to select one of a number of possible
values. The form of VLOOKUP is VLOOKUP(value, table-reference, column).
As an example the formula =VLOOKUP(A3,R5:T12,2) uses the value in cell A3, and tries to
match it with those in column R (also known as the 1st column) of the table R5:T12. If there
is no exact match, it uses the next lower value in the table. It then returns the value in the
same row, but column 2,- ie column S in this example.
1.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\ILOOKUP\GARAGE.XLS.
Enter the
number 3171 into cell E6. Put formulae involving the VLOOKUP function into cells E9,
E11, E13 and E15 to obtain information from the table of data that starts in J23. Try part
numbers 3275 and 4763.
2.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\LOOKUP\MARKBOOK.XLS. Calculate the
percentage and the grade from the lookup table.
3.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\LOOKUP\ELDERS.XLS. Elders have a
number of different account types, and each is given a different percentage discount, as
shown in the spreadsheet. Complete the spreadsheet to calculate the discounts etc for
each farmer, as well as the statistics at the bottom of the table.
4.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\LOOKUP\APPOINT.XLS. Below is a
partial bus timetable for the 728 bus from Blackwood station to the city. You have an
appointment in the city at the times indicated. What time to you have to be at the
Blackwood railway station to catch the bus that will get you to town in time to make the
appointment. Also include the wait in minutes that you will have between the time the
bus arrives and the appointment.
5.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\LOOKUP\TAXPAK.XLS. This is a ready
reckoner for your tax this year. The Range column gives the lower end of the range of
salaries, the Tax* column indicates the tax that has to be paid on that amount and the %
Tax column shows the tax rate on the income above the figure in the Range column. Use
a lookup table to calculate the tax payable on the amounts shown and also the net income.
6.
Open the spreadsheet SPREADSHEETS\LOOKUP\NODDY.XLS. Noddy's Nursery
handles a limited range of exclusive plants and supplies a small number of customers.
They are developing a spreadsheet to help them efficiently print out personalised
invoices. This spreadsheet consists of a number of sections.
a) Purchase Details Section, where the item code number and quantity are entered.
The account number and the shipping charges code is also entered by the sales
person.
b) Data Tables * details of the stock held in Noddy's Nursery.
* the account details for each of Noddy's clients.
* the shipping codes and the charges.
c) The Invoice which is to be printed and given to the customer. This is the section
Noddy found difficult. He didn't know how to add the formulae into the
spreadsheet, but has put notes in italics where you have to help him.