Purdue University
Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects
http://fairway.ecn.purdue.edu/
~step/class_material
Nomenclature
Address
Formula Bar
Column
Row
Cell
Worksheet
Formulas

Excel is a powerful program for performing
complex calculations.

Formulas are used frequently in Excel. To
create an equation, the first character in
the cell MUST be an equal sign.
For Example:

Into cell B2 type:
3+2

Into cell B3 type:
=3 + 2
*Note: Be sure to press enter after writing EVERY formula.
Basic Formulas
Addition (+)
 Subtraction (-)
 Multiplication (*)
 Division (/)
 Square Root (sqrt(x) or x^0.5)
 Trigonometric Functions:

 sin(x), cos(x), tan(x), etc….
 NOTE: x has units of radians not degrees
Relative Addressing

Instead of using numbers in cell
formulas, you can use the addresses of
other cells to manipulate their content.

Once an equals sign has been entered,
click a cell to enter the address.
Filling Down
This is useful to quickly apply a formula to multiple
sequential cells.
Click this square!!
Selecting
This is what happens when you don’t click the square…
Fibonacci Numbers
Leonardo Fibonacci was an Italian
mathematician who lived between 1170-1240. He
travelled a lot on business with his father and was
exposed to many different mathematical techniques
used throughout the world. Fibonacci collected these
ideas in books, for people to learn without having to
travel as he had. His writings introduced Arabic
numerals into European mathematics. Fibonacci also
made significant contributions to mathematics himself,
in number theory and on recursive sequences. He is
most famous for the Fibonacci sequence, in which
each number is the sum of the previous two, i.e., 0, 1,
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, . . .
Individual Exercise
Time Needed : 7-10 Min

Create a worksheet to calculate the first 10
Fibonacci Numbers

Series which Ni = Ni-1 + Ni-2
N1 = 1
N2 = 1
N3 = N2 + N1 = 1 + 1 = 2
N4 = N3 + N2 = 2 + 1 = 3





Hint: The first two numbers are just typed in, then
you use a formula for the rest.
So Why?

The reason we asked for a number that
wasn’t part of the original data set :
 It demonstrates how easy it is to add more
cell calculations when needed. Just Fill
Down and there is the answer.
 This is one of the reasons Excel is so useful.
Fill Down Exercise
Individual – Time: 5-7 min
Attempt to make your 1 times table (i.e.
1x1 through 1x12) using the method just
shown
 Your excel sheet should only use relative
cell addressing (i.e. you can’t use the
numbers 1 through 12 in your formulas)

Absolute Addressing

Excel uses dollar signs to denote which
cell references should change when you
fill down, and which shouldn’t:
 A1
= Relative Column, Relative Row
 $A1 = Absolute Column, Relative Row
 A$1 = Relative Column, Absolute Row
 $A$1 = Absolute Column, Absolute Row
F4 to toggle through options
 This is how to fix our previous problem.

Absolute Addressing Example
Why is there only a dollar sign
on the 1 in B1 and nowhere else?
Where else could you put a dollar
sign to get the same result?
Times Tables Exercise – Part 2
Team – Time: 10 min

Your mission: Finish the times tables up to
12x12

Hint: If you change one dollar sign in our
previous equation, you will only have to fill
down or across to finish the entire table
Team Exercise
Time Needed : 7-10 Min

Ohms Law States that Voltage = Current *
Resistance (V = I*R)

Calculate V for the following Current Levels and
Resistance Levels:

Current (amps): .001, .002, .005, .010, .020,
.050, .100, .200, .500, 1, 2, 5

Resistance (ohms): 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000,
5000, 10000, 50000, 100000, 500000

Should be 12 * 12 = 144 Voltage Levels